2020-2021 season AMERICAN YOUTH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRAS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to our 56th season
Page
Message from the Board President
2
Letter from the Executive Director
3
Board of Directors
4
Staff & Volunteers
5
J. D. Anderson, Conductor, AYCO
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AYCO Program
9
AYCO Program Notes
10-11
Season Highlights
12-13
Government, Foundation, Corporate Giving
14
Individual Giving
15
Endowment Giving
16
AYCO School Roster
17
AYCO Roster
18-19
AYPO Orchestras & Ensembles
20-21
Supporting AYPO
22
A Message from Dr. Bill Hong, AYPO Board President We, at AYPO, are very proud to present this video of the American Youth Concert Orchestras Winter Concert, as performed according to proper safety protocols, but with all the enthusiasm and skill these extraordinary young musicians can provide. It is our hope that you'll enjoy this performance as you would any other musical event. Please send feedback to info@aypo.org.
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Welcome Message Executive Director, Dr Graham Elliott Welcome to the second concert of the 56th season by AYCO. None of us could have anticipated the changes in our way of life that would come when we were first aware of the Covid-19 virus in mid-March. It soon became obvious that our 56th season would, at least in part, be like no other. The summer was occupied by months of planning for ‘virtual’ activity, involving our artistic and administrative staff. The overriding considerations were to offer the high level of training and performance for which AYPO is known across the country, and to ensure a safe environment for staff and students. Today we will have an opportunity to assess the success of our efforts. The weekly program of rehearsals for the five orchestras and six ensembles has required reallocation of resources to allow us to engage a greatly increased number of instrumental coaches, offering individual coaching to the more than 450 students participating in the various programs. We also engaged Doug Wallace as Digital Media Technician to edit the hundreds of individual recordings and videos to create the sort of virtual concert we will hear today. That task has required a huge amount of coordination by our office staff. Creation of this concert has also made great demands on the students and their families. They have been required to adopt a very different approach to the rehearsal and preparation of their parts. All of this is on top of the school week, where they are also spending hours in front of a computer screen. The older students take this in their stride, at the same time honing technical skills which will serve them well in adult life. It is more challenging for the members of the younger orchestras. We will all be glad when we can return to a normal season! As soon as it is safe, and venues become available, we will get back together. Orchestral playing is a team sport, and teams need to be together to challenge and inspire one another. Meanwhile, we appreciate the trust placed in us by parents and students to offer them a valuable experience which develops their musical skills. The concerts in this second cycle will all feature music to challenge and inspire our young players, and today J. D. Anderson will present major repertoire by Verdi. Our aim is to offer an enjoyable musical experience which belies the fact that each instrument has been recorded separately by, in the case of AYCO, nearly 90 musicians! There are many joys associated with working for this great organization, but the greatest is to observe the quite remarkable progress that our students make during the course of the season. This does not happen by chance. We have an extraordinarily talented and committed team of conductors and instrumental coaches who work in close collaboration to ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. It is a simple fact that membership of AYPO impacts each student for life. We greatly appreciate the dedication of families in support of our young musicians. Parents make enormous sacrifices of time in order to ensure that their children attend rehearsals regularly and promptly. In return we work to give each student the maximum lasting benefit of membership. Graham Elliott; Executive Director
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS *Dr. William Hong, Board President Institute for Defense Analyses
Patti Reid Musician, Teacher, Engineer (retired)
*Robert Sollinger, Past President and VP Operations Gensler
Chris Sanchez Capitol City Strings Northern Virginia Suzuki Music School
*Suzanne Mucchetti, Secretary Former Attorney, Weiner, Brodsky, Sidman & Kider; Former Controller, Center for Auto Safety
Marty Smith Chief Operating Officer, FCPS
*Ben Baldanza, VP Finance Former CEO of Spirit Airlines *Karen Leyva Business Strategy Consultant Leyva Strategies, LLC Dr. Marcia Baldanza Senior Consultant & Author, Just ASK Publications and Professional Development, Professor of Education Leadership Don Celli IT Contractor, specializing in DevOps and Cloud Grace Chang Musician, Teacher, and Personal Chef/Caterer, Former PR and Marketing Executive for Classical Musicians Janette Corcelius Music Educator, FCPS Keith Ditthavong Managing Partner, Ditthavong & Steiner, P.C. Dr. Nina Fedoroff Professor Emerita, Penn State University 4 |
Brad W. Spencer Attorney John Thomann Gensler *Member of Executive Committee
HONORARY BOARD Margaret Adams Past President Mike Blakeslee Past President Carl J Bianchi Conductor Emeritus, AYSO Luis Haza AYPO Music Director Emeritus Margaret Makris Civic Leader William McSweeny Chevy Chase Bank Gianandrea Noseda Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra Alma Powell America’s Promise Alliance For Youth Arturo Sandoval Musician Leonard Slatkin Music Director, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
STAFF & VOLUNTEERS ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
ARTISTIC STAFF
Graham J. Elliott Executive Director
Dr. Timothy Dixon Conductor, American Youth Philharmonic
Miranda Martin General Manager Molly Schranck Education & Outreach Manager Josh Ellis Orchestra Manager Gréta Ásgeirsson Music Librarian
VOLUNTEERS Jill Johnston, AYP Diane Watkinson, AYP Tom Black, AYSO Hua Shan, AYSO Amy Chen, AYCO Barbora Gregusova, AYSE Xiaoli Zhao, AYSE Kevin Shea, AYPO Music Library
ARTISTIC STAFF Elizabeth Blakeslee Director, Harp Ensemble & Symphonic Harp Elizabeth Bley Interim Director, Clarinet Ensemble Sharon Bonneau Director, Clarinet Ensemble
Glenn Quader Conductor, American Youth Symphonic Orchestra J. D. Anderson Conductor, American Youth Concert Orchestra Laura Cahn Wallace Conductor, American Youth String Ensemble & American Youth Debut Orchestra Doug Martin Conductor, Fall Interim, American Youth Concert Orchestra Carl J. Bianchi Conductor Emeritus, American Youth Symphonic Orchestra Christopher Zimmerman Principal Guest Conductor
The Ensemble da Camera of Washington In-Residence, Chamber Program Veronica Jackson Instructor, Music Buddies Stephanie Lewis Instructor, Music Buddies Stephen Dunkel Brass Coach
Dr. Laura Kaufman Mowry Director, Flute Ensemble
Trevor Mowry Woodwinds Coach
Doug Wallace Director, Percussion Ensemble & Symphonic Percussion, & Digital Media Technician
Tsuna Sakamoto Strings Coach & Director, Junior Chamber Ensemble
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J. D. ANDERSON CONDUCTOR,
AMERICAN YOUTH CONCERT ORCHESTRAS J. D. Anderson, entering his 31st year in music education is also entering his 16th season as conductor of the American Youth Concert Orchestra. A native of Vienna, Virginia, Mr. Anderson graduated from James Madison High School, where he performed under the baton of Carl J. Bianchi, conductor emeritus of the American Youth Symphonic Orchestra. While in high school, Mr. Anderson was a member of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Virginia Tech. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Virginia Tech. Mr. Anderson began his professional career teaching instrumental music in grades 5-12 in the Champaign, Illinois. Mr. Anderson returned to Virginia and served for 10 years as Music Department Chair and Director of Bands at Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia. At Longfellow, Mr. Anderson built a band program that became recognized as one of the finest in the United States. During his tenure, the Longfellow Symphonic Band received “superior” ratings at every contest and festival in which it appeared and was invited to perform at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference. Celebrating the lasting success of the Longfellow Symphonic Band, the John Philip Sousa Foundation presented Longfellow Middle School with the Sudler Silver Cup in 2000, the 25th school in the country to receive such a distinction. Mr. Anderson has served on the Board of Directors for the National Band Association (NBA), the National Advisory Board for the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the education committee for the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Locally, Mr. Anderson has served as a coach and administrator for multiple sport programs sponsored by the Herndon Optimist Club. He is also a member of the Governing Board for the Cappies, a writing and awards program that trains high school theatre and journalism students to be expert writers, critical thinkers, and leaders. Mr. Anderson has received numerous awards for his work including the NBA’s “Citation of Excellence,” Fairfax Symphony Education Award, Al and Winnie Hodgson Excellence in Teaching Award, and twice was selected as a finalist for the FCPS/Washington Post Agnes Meyer Teacher of the Year Award. Mr. Anderson was selected national cowinner of the American School Band Directors’ Association’s Distinguished Band Director Award and has been presented with the Diploma of the Sudler Order of Merit from the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
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American Youth Concert Orchestra in Concert J. D. Anderson Conductor Friday, June 4, 2021
GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901)
Overture to Nabucco
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AYCO PROGRAM NOTES GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) Nabucco Overture Early in his career, Verdi became the most talked about composer in Italy. By the end of his long and astonishingly productive life, he was probably the most beloved composer in the world. “With Nabucco,” Verdi wrote, “my career can be said to have begun.” In 1840, Giuseppe Verdi, having just suffered the loss of his wife, daughter and son over a short period of time, vowed to never compose music again. Verdi's friend and manager of La Scala, Bartolomeo Merelli, pleaded with him to read text written by the famous librettist, Solera. In an autobiographical sketch, Verdi wrote the following: "On my way [from Merelli's office] I felt a vague rmeasiness, a great sadness, an anguish that swelled up in my heart! .. . And at home I threw the manuscript with a violent gesture on the table, opened itself and without my quite realizing it my eyes fixed on the page before me at one particular line: 'Va, pensiero, sull' all dorate' (Go, thought, on golden wings). [These were the words which Verdi made into a great chorus and which the crowd lining the streets at his funeral sang fifty years later.] I glanced through the verses which followed and was deeply moved, particularly in that they almost paraphrased the Bible which I have always loved to read. I read a line, then another. Then firm in my resolution never to compose again, I forced myself to stop, closed the book, and went to bed. But oh! Nabucco kept rtmning through my head, and sleep would not come. I got up, I read the libretto, not once but two, three times, so that by morning, it's fair to say, I knew Solera's libretto by heart." Opera composition history Reluctantly, Verdi slowly composed Nabucco, completed in the autumn of 1841. The opera is based on the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, whose name is reduced to Nabucco for purposes of song. In Act I, he - defeats the Jews at Jerusalem, blasphemes in their temple, an enslaves them in Babylon. There, overcome by success, he declares himself God and is knocked insane by a thunderbolt. In the scramble for power, Nabucco's illegitimate daughter, Abigaille, pushes aside her legitimate half sister, Fenena, who has lost the support of the important priests of Bel by declaring the Jewish God, Jehovah, to be supreme. Just as Abigaille is about to kill Fenena and all the Jews, Nabucco recovers his wits, vows to Jehovah to establish Judaism as the state religion, and with divine aid rights all wrongs. The premiere took place on March 9, 1842 at La Scala. In the third act, in spite of a specific police prohibition against encores, the audience insisted that the chorus, 'Va, pensiero', should be sung again. The police in this case were right to worry, although, as so often happens when a mass sentiment is stirred, they could do nothing to control it. The chorus is sung by the Hebrews, captive in Babylon, as they dream of their native land. This struck a great chord in the hearts of the Italians who were under Austrian rule at the time. Rossini observe that 'Va, pensiero' is actually an aria sung by massed voices. The text by Solera was moving enough alone, but when sung it became for the time the perfect expression of a people's longing for freedom. Word of the new opera Nabucco spread throughout Italy launching Verdi's career.
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AYCO PROGRAM NOTES CONTINUED Nabucco Overture - Sinfonia is not played as a prelude to the opera, but rather is a concert piece showcasing the themes from the opera. The complete 'Va, pensiero' chorus makes up the middle and bulk of the piece which is surrounded by fragments of other themes found throughout the opera. Nabucco, or "Nebuchadnezzar," though not Verdi's very first opera, was the first to gain any real measure of success. Verdi's spirits were at their lowest ebb, and he turned out a score a phrase at a time. His work was being turned down by all the impresarios, but once he had finished Nabucco, to the libretto of Solera, he worked very hard at getting it produced. The poor performances during rehearsal did nothing to revive his spirits. He was again thinking that he was in the wrong profession. The singers and orchestra worked hard to overcome the hammering of the workers building sets, but when they finished the soon-to-become-famous chorus Va pensiero sull' ali dorate (Go, my thought, on gilded wings), the workers broke out in applause, crying "Bravo, bravo, viva il maestro!" In his memoirs, Verdi wrote, "Then I knew what the future had in store for me." The libretto for Nabucco is by Temistocle Solera, based on a French play by Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue, which was an adaptation of the Biblical story of the Jewish captivity in Babylon. Perhaps the success of the opera is owed to the association of the plight of the Jews in Babylon with the Italian independence movement, the Risorgimento. Verdi eventually became identified with the movement as supports of Vittorio Emmanuele II of Sardini would call out "VERDI, VERDI" at concerts, meaning Vittorio Emmanuele, Re d'Italia. After much travail, treachery, and transformation (Nabucco's daughter, and later, Nabucco himself convert to Judaism), the opera ends with the statue of Baal breaking, and virtually all remaining cast members singing the praises of the God of the Hebrews. The overture (or rather "Sinfonia," as it was called) opens with the trombones stating a solemn theme reminding us of the opening of Brahms' Haydn Variations (written some thirty years later). On the ninth measure there is a loud declaration, tutti, followed five measures later by a return to the opening theme. This theme, recalled later, has an organ-like quality, a reminder that as a child, Verdi was mesmerized by the sound of the organ. After a long crescendo, developing out of the opening theme, there is a new, five-note theme, Allegro, which also recurs throughout the work. But what most opera-lovers are waiting for comes about a quarter of the way through, with the Andantino, an orchestral version of the most popular number in the opera, the previously mentioned Va pensiero sull' ali dorate. This music represents the Jewish people on the banks of the Euphrates, longing for a return to their homeland. The theme is introduced by the oboe and clarinet to a pizzicato accompaniment in the strings. Later it is reprised by the trumpet. The previously mentioned Allegro theme returns, after which the music becomes more dense, more military, and comes to a rousing conclusion. Program note credits to the following: Manchester Symphony Orchestra Program notes compiled by Cayenna Ponchione for ITHACA COLLEGE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
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2020-2021
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS COMING SOON!
CLARINET ENSEMBLE VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE The AYPO Clarinet ensemble performs its final concert of the season!
COMING SOON!
FINAL ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES Stay tuned for more information, www.aypo.org/2021events
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2020-2021
SEASON UPDATES AYPO Be sure to visit the AYPO site at www.aypo.org to stay updated on our performances and events. Recent events AYP in Concert AYSO in Concert AYCO in Concert AYSE in Concert AYDO in Concert AYPO Harp Ensemble AYPO Clarinet Ensemble AYPO Flute Ensemble AYPO Chamber Ensemble AYPO Chamber Ensemble Be sure to watch the virtual performances of the 56th AYPO season! For more information visit www.aypo.org/2021events.
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GOVERNMENT, FOUNDATION, CORPORATE GIVING AYPO gratefully acknowledges the generosity of all of its donors. Listed below are those who pledged or contributed as of January 1, 2017.
PLATINUM ($10,000+) ArtsFairfax Clark-Winchcole Foundation National Endowment for the Arts League of American Orchestras Virginia Commission for the Arts William Bannon Foundation Jack Kent Cooke Foundation John Edward Memorial Foundation GOLD ($5,000+) The Bender Foundation Capitol One Bank Clark Charitable Foundation Corina Higginson Trust Dimick Foundation Sotheby’s International Realty Koster Foundation SILVER ($2,500+) Dallas Morse Coors Foundation Paypal BRONZE ($1,000+) Burke and Herbert Bank United Way of National Capital Region LEADERSHIP ($500+) Johnson Browning Family Fund 14 |
INDIVIDUAL GIVING IMPRESARIO ($5,000+) William Bannon Marlene Malek BENEFACTOR ($1,000+) J. D. Anderson Ben Baldanza Jeff and Pat Bianchi Michael and Elizabeth Blakeslee Sonia Cho Paul Czekanski Dr. Timothy Dixon Dr. Graham Elliott Dr. Nina Fedoroff Dr. Jeanie Kartalian Byungki Kim Mary Kushan Karen Leyva Jeffrey Rathke & Maria Meyler Suzanne Mucchetti Kennan Murphy-Sierra Honorable Mary Ourisman Patti & Robert Reid Bruce Rosenblum Tsuna Sakamoto Robert Sollinger Troy and Diane Watkinson Kirsten Winters PATRON ($500+) Bright Funds Washington Homer Carlisle III Eileen Daly The Garmen Family* Brent and Helen Han Dr. Bill Hong Leigh Morad Julia Reid Marty Smith Brad Spencer Doug Wallace SPONSOR ($250+) Craig and Amy Beaumont Grace Chang Ed Frank Household Rachel and Jeffrey Hunter Thomas Huszcza Michelle Joss Flavio Koiffman Household Don Schaaf Henrik Koppen Household* Vickie and Aart Kraay Jeanette Lee Lee Morad Margaret Garmen Rafferty Household* Carl Smith Michael Wynnuk
CONTRIBUTOR ($100+) Pattaraporn Arun Paul and Kathleen Browning Fang Cai Daniel Cassidy Brenda Chan Jenny Chon Claire and Ricardo Cyncynates The Daniels Household Jen Dzwonczyk Mutsa Elting Yeongyun Johann Jennifer Kim Young Kim Alexander Kleiner Barry Kozak* Marc Kreider Jeanette Lee Steven March The Peede Family MIchael Randers-Pehrson Danna Reynolds Ginny Shannon Lu Su The Wood Family Xiang Zhang MEMBER ($50+) Donald Carlsen* Edward Faggen Jennifer Garces Tessa Green Penelope Keffer* Robert Kwartin Virginia Ledoux Miss Lola McComb Meredith Moore Lambert Orkis Ashok Padheriya Colleen Sharpe Household* IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION Crowell & Moring LLP, International Law Firm Day Violins Fairfax Fine Violins Foxes Music Co. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey Jeffrey & Rachel Hunter Potter Violins Robert Sollinger *In memory of Bob Garmen
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ENDOWMENT Thank you to all of our patrons who support the AYPO Endowment, a fund which serves the needs of our student musicians by: providing need-based scholarships to musicians who are accepted into an AYPO ensemble, supporting our core Community Outreach Programs including the Music Buddies Mentorship Program, and ensuring AYPO’s financial future by supporting our core orchestral programs. Contribute to the AYPO Endowment and ensure that the AYPO experience is available for generations of children to come. Margaret and John Adams Claire G. Anderson Hanchol Alvin Do and Sun Y. Cho John A. and Penelope Farris Adrian Hendricks
Mrs. Margaret Makris Pamela McInnes Patti and Robert Reid James and Cheryl Walters
Donate Online: www.aypo.org
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We are proud to support AYSO musicians representing the following schools: A Beka Academy Cabin John Middle School Carl Sandberg Middle School Centreville High School Chantilly High School Charles J Colgan Sr. High School Eagle Ridge Middle School Fairfax High School Freedom High School George C. Marshall High School George Mason High School Hayfield Secondary School Herbert Hoover Middle School Holton-Arms School James F. Cooper Middle School Kilmer Middle School Lake Braddock Secondary School Langley High School Longfellow Middle School Luther Jackson Middle School Mark Twain Middle School McLean High School National Cathedral School Oakton High School Potomac Falls High School Rachel Carson Middle School Robert Frost Middle School Robinson Secondary School South Lakes High School St. Albans School St. Stephen's and St. Agnes High School Swanson Middle School The Field School Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson Middle School Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Trinity Christian School W. T. Woodson High School Washington International School Washington-Liberty High School West Potomac High School West Springfield High School Westfield High School Williamsburg Middle School Yorktown High School
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AMERICAN YOUTH CONCERT ORCHESTRA 2020-2021 Roster
VIOLIN I Ryan Chen, Co-Concertmaster Shriya Jaddu, Co-Concertmaster Geoffrey Yuan, Co-Concertmaster Alethea Callahan Alexandra Glass Holly Kim Chloe Lee Karolina Lickunas Michelle Liu Lizzie McMullin Amy Nam Katie Pena-Bandalo Patrick Shi VIOLIN II Nina Garces, Co-Principal Sophia Kim, Co-Principal Kara Kweon, Co-Principal Grace Brady Jenny Chen Luke Chen Kyle Ding Genevieve Evans Perry Francis Abby LaFleur Sophie Lin Alina Liu Ava Magnell Kyle Morrison Bridget Olson Sanah Qadir Spencer Wang
VIOLA Lee Davis, Co-principal Arsenii Zharkov, Co-principal Alan Fan Finn Fitzgerald Sarah Fu Nicolas Kraay Eleanor Meehan Andy Richardson Audrey Zheng CELLO Valerie Lai, Co-principal Colin Phoel, Co-principal Edwin Chung Harry de Beer Raymond Fu Jonathan Han Rae Hicok Emily Hyun Alicia Kim Emma McDonald Olivia Michael Mae Seward Chase Shepherd Valerie Su Helen Zhang BASS Colin Surabian, Principal
Please note names are listed by title and in alphabetical order by last name. *A special thank you to the AYSO musicians who joined AYCO in its second concert.
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2020-2021 Roster FLUTE Jayden Lee Ella Liu Emma Yang PICCOLO Jayden Lee OBOE Hugo Haggard John Rhee CLARINET Tyler Anderson Ian Park Gabriel Sufitchi Louis Westerman BASSOON Terran Henderson Kevin Lee Yale Yeo
FRENCH HORN Ian Ahn Kaylee Dickenson TRUMPET Daisy Maxwell Issac Won Mihai Ziu TROMBONE Joseph Tso Donovan Chong, AYSO musician Isaac Ermath, AYSO musician Rachel Petrovich, AYSO musician BASS TROMBONE Evan Ling, AYSO musician PERCUSSION Kihp't'r Domich Nikhil Kuntipuram Ethan Moore Elizabeth Thompson Glenn van Valkenburgh HARP Serenity Flores Leland McIntosh PIANO Hana Wang
American Youth Concert Orchestra
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Our Orchestras American Youth Philharmonic (AYP) Our most advanced orchestra, the American Youth Philharmonic (AYP) is a musical training ground for the most accomplished young musicians in the area, many of whom go on to have successful music careers. AYP performs a series of demanding orchestral literature spanning from Classical to contemporary and commissioned works. Typically includes students grades 9th-12th, averaging grade 11. Symphonic Orchestra (AYSO) The American Youth Symphonic Orchestra (AYSO) is a full orchestral ensemble with a focus on musical and leadership development. Repertoire is carefully selected to give both brass and woodwind players solo opportunities, with an emphasis on classical masterpieces that are important for any young player’s musical education. Typically includes students grades 8th-12th, averaging grade 10. Concert Orchestra (AYCO) The American Youth Concert Orchestra (AYCO) is the first full orchestral ensemble that a musician experiences within the AYPO program. The wide variety of concert repertoire is meant to challenge and educate musicians by exposing them to new styles and techniques. Strong emphasis is placed on training young woodwind, brass and percussion players in the art of orchestral playing. Typically includes students grades 7th-10th, averaging grade 9. String Ensemble (AYSE) The American Youth String Ensemble (AYSE) is an intermediate string orchestra for musicians at a comparative level of Suzuki Book 4 or above. An emphasis is placed on understanding the roles and relationships between instruments in the ensemble. Repertoire is chosen from diverse parts of the world to expose the players to different playing techniques. AYSE performs both original string orchestra works and arrangements of standard symphonic literature.
Debut Orchestra (AYDO) AYPO’s youngest ensemble, the American Youth Debut Orchestra (AYDO), has grown significantly in just four years! AYDO creates a fun and focused environment where string players learn the fundamentals of orchestral performance, vital rhythmic and tempo techniques, and overall basic ensemble playing skills. AYDO focuses on the growth and development of musicians at the beginning of their orchestral training. Before joining, musicians should have at least two years of private instruction.
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Our Ensembles Chamber Ensemble Program The Chamber Ensemble Program is for talented musicians who participate in either AYSO or AYP. Ensembles are formed based on the applicant's video audition, orchestra, and instrument, at the discretion of the artistic and administrative staff. The ensemble instrumentations vary depending on repertoire that includes a mix of strings, woodwinds, brass, harp, and piano. The program gives musicians the opportunity to enhance their musical development by studying and performing chamber music under the guidance of professional instructors. Junior Chamber Ensemble Program The Junior Chamber Ensemble Program, lead by String Coach, Tsuna Sakamoto, is comprised of talented young musicians who participate in either AYCO or AYSE. This program provides young musicians with the opportunity to perform and learn about beginning concepts and techniques involved in performing chamber music. Flute Ensemble The Flute Ensemble rehearses weekly on Mondays and performs several times a season. Its repertoire includes arrangements for flute ensemble as well as original works. Flute Ensemble is open both to current AYPO members and non-members. Harp Ensemble Under the expert direction of Elizabeth Blakeslee, the Harp Ensemble rehearses weekly on Monday evenings. Its repertoire will include arrangements for harp ensemble as well as original works. Any harpist who has had at least one year of private instruction and plays on an instrument with a minimum of 34 strings with a full set of levers is invited to audition. Clarinet Ensemble The Clarinet Ensemble rehearses weekly on Mondays at Middle School and performs several times a season. Its includes arrangements for clarinet ensemble as well as works. Clarinet Ensemble is open both to current AYPO and non-members.
Kilmer repertoire original members
Percussion Ensemble The Percussion Ensemble is comprised of percussionists from all orchestra’s. Under the leadership of Doug Wallace, the Percussion Ensemble has become its own community within the AYPO organization. Percussion Ensemble members play for their aforementioned orchestras, but also rehearse independently to prepare for their own concert in the spring. The Percussion Ensemble has gained national acclaim through its two performances at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis, IN in 2012 and 2015.
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SUPPORTING AYPO Invest in our youth! Every season AYPO receives many generous contributions to ensure that our orchestral programs continue to thrive. Show your support of AYPO by making a taxdeductible contribution today. Your gift is an opportunity to invest in these young musicians and applaud their efforts. For more information, visit www.aypo.org. SAMPLE WAYS YOUR GIFT COULD BE USED: $150 Pays for sectional coaching with professional musician $250 Gives 25 children access to SmartMusic digital platform $500 Partially underwrites tuition for one musician $1,500 Provides music and digital applications for 20 Music Buddies students HOW DO I MAKE A CONTRIBUTION? AYPO accepts contributions through any of the following methods: • Check, payable to AYPO, mailed to 4026 Hummer Road, Annandale, VA 22003 • Credit Card (online at www.aypo.org) • Appreciated Securities • United Way (8075) and Combined Federal Campaign (22502) • In-Kind Contribution QUESTIONS? CONTACT (703) 642-8053 OR GELLIOTT@AYPO.ORG
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