MCYO Tempo Fall 2013

TEMPO Volume XVI Fall ‘13

Online Newsletter of Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras

MCYO | Concert Program Advertising 2013-14 Seasons!!

Become a Friend of MCYO! Your contribution ensures that our young musicians, regardless of financial circumstances, have access to a full orchestral experience. Participation stimulates their musicial growth and provides them with unique performance opportunities. Donate to MCYO and become a “Friend� in one of our member clubs.

Advertising in the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras program booklets is a great way to show your support for youth arts in our area.

There will be three concerts this year, with a distribution of approximately 1,500 programs each time:

Concert Dates: December 8, March 23, May 21

Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras is a 501(c) (3) Non-profit Corporation and is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributiions.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES ARE FOUR (4) WEEKS PRIOR TO CONCERT DATE!

Please make checks payable to MCYO and mail your donation to:

Download Ad Form

Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras The Music Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD 20852

Find MCYO on Twitter and Facebook!

Donate Online!

MCYO Staff and Board of Directors

Staff

Executive Director...............Cheryl Jukes Artistic Director...................Jonathan Carney Music Director.....................Kristofer Sanz

Operations Manager.................John Park Associate Executive Director...Christine Cox Accountant.................................Julie Hamre

Conductors

Jorge Orozco, MaryAnn Poling, Kristofer Sanz, Julie Savignon, Simeone Tartaglione

Chamber Ensemble Directors

Albert Hunt, Carolyn Oh, Janese Sampson, Monika Vasey

Managers

Esther Choi, Francisco Cosio-Marron, Anna Lentz, Linda Fong, Ben Kepler, Elizabeth Peterson

Board of Directors

Chair......................................Jerry Breslow Secretary................................Mike Lemov

Vice Chair..................................David Phillips Treasurer....................................Denise Miller

Directors-at-Large

Erica Bondarev, Nathan Bresee, Laine Cocca, Bette Eberly-Hill, Bill Ford Lucy Freeman, Helene Granof, Shayla Hines, Jamie Schneider

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Contents | MCYO

Table of Contents 2

From the Chair

3

Frequently Asked Questions

4

From the Music Director

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Meet Maestro Tartaglione

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Upcoming Events

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Relive the Fall Semester

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MCYO | From the Chair Dear MCYO Members and Friends, It is my pleasure and privilege to lead MCYO’s Board as Chair this 20132014 season.

This 68th season of the organization is well underway, and the MCYO artistic and administrative staffs are working hard to provide great experiences for our young musicians. The Board has visited rehearsals and we look forward to exciting December concert performances by all of the MCYO ensembles: 6 orchestras, 2 Flute choirs, a Clarinet choir and the Harp Ensemble—almost 500 students have been enrolled this year.

We have an engaged and experienced Board of Directors whose members join me in their enthusiasm to serve the MCYO. I wholeheartedly welcome the time and talent of the current Board officers and directors at large. Officers: Vice Chair, David Phillips, Associate Dean for the Arts, Montgomery College (serving his 7th year as an officer of the MCYO Board); Treasurer: Denise Miller, Director of Marketing, SECS, at CEB; and Secretary: Mike Lemov, attorney & appointed member of MD Consumer Council.

Directors at large: Erica Bondarev, Director of Marketing and Communications, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; Nathan Bresee, Esq. an attorney with Jackson & Campbell; Laine Cocca, CPA with Snyder Cohn, CPAs; long-time MCYO supporter and former Board Secretary Bette EberlyHill; former Board Chair Bill Ford, Comptroller, Washington Gas light Company; Lucy Freeman, Librarian, Community activist; Helene Granof, MCPS teacher; Shayla Hines, Advancement Coordinator for the American Film Institute; and Jamie Jean Schneider, E-Marketing Specialist, Smithsonian Associates.

Operative committees working this season will include: Governance & Nominating; Audit, Financial Aide & Scholarships, Finance, Marketing and Community Outreach, and Strategic Planning.

One of my chief goals as Chair is to complete a strategic plan for the future of MCYO. We want to ensure that the mission of the MCYO continues to be achieved. The mission statement of MCYO is a good one, guiding the Board in its work and the organization in its operations:

MCYO nurtures and develops young, talented musicians and enriches the community with a quality orchestral experience.

I ask each and every one of you to help us make MCYO a memorable educational and musical experience that students will appreciate and cherish for years to come. Help us fill the concert hall for every performance by inviting family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers and anyone else wishing to support a worthy cause, one that can make a real difference in our children’s lives.

Jerome Breslow

Chair, MCYO Board of Directors

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Frequently Asked Questions | MCYO MCYO FAQs: Inclement Weather Policy Please note our policy: MCYO DOES NOT automatically follow Montgomery County Public school closures.

Schools may close, but if Strathmore stays open and conditions seem relatively safe and manageable, we will proceed with the regularly-scheduled rehearsals here.

Alumni News - Mark Berge I was a clarinetist in MCYO from about 1968-1971, performing in the MCYO Junior Youth Orchestra, under the baton of John Bauer.

I attended North Bethesda Jr. High and would have gone to Walter Johnson HS, but we moved to Colorado. I went to Temple University earning my Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.

Later, at the University of Colorado, I earned a bachelor’s in math and physics.

I played and performed for years, with various orchestras, including the Caracas (Venezuela) Philharmonic, the Central City Opera, and the Colorado Ballet. My current career, however, is as a budget and personnel manager.

A fond MCYO memory I’d like to share: My parents attended every rehearsal as well as every concert. I loved seeing them there listening to us.

I remember the music camps very well, I think the names were the Fresh Air camp and Camp Neyati, which was run by Chester Petranek. A great time, except for a bug that went around and made almost everyone sick for a couple of days!

My advice to MCYO students: Keep practicing, and try to learn your parts before you get to the first rehearsal!

Always check the MCYO website for updates: www.mcyo.org

Sectionals: if the Bindeman Center closes, then all those scheduled to go there would come to Strathmore instead for full rehearsal.

NOTE: It’s possible that Strathmore may close due to a power outage, even if schools remain open. Whenever Strathmore closes due to emergency, the usual MCYO rehearsals or activities scheduled at Strathmore are canceled.

HOW BEST TO STAY APPRISED? 1. First and foremost, always check the MCYO website front page for updates and closures. If MCYO is cancelling/closing for the night, the decision will be posted by 4:00.

2. Look for an email from your orchestra manager.

Try not to email or call the manager re the closure update; please wait for a message or check the MCYO website.

3. Listen to WTOP radio 103.7FM for the MCYO closure announcement.

4. Last resort: Check the Strathmore website or call main Strathmore number. If it says Strathmore campus is closed, then you’ll know we cannot have MCYO. If MCYO at Strathmore is canceled, then all MCYO local activities would likely be canceled (i.e. rehearsals at churches, other locations) 5. ALWAYS check MCYO website first for the most complete closure info which will be posted by 4pm.

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MCYO | From the Music Director For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kristofer Sanz, and I am the newly appointed MCYO Music Director and Philharmonic Conductor. I am very honored to take on these new roles and responsibilities and am very excited for what promises to be an amazing new MCYO season! As Music Director, my main goals this year will be to personally reach out to all of the extremely talented private teachers in the area, to reestablish MCYO’s strong commitment to the private teachers who help to fill our orchestras, to strengthen the lines of communications between MCYO and it’s constituents(including students, parents, private teachers and school teachers) , and to return to our musicians the mystique, honor, and exclusivity to that comes with being in one of our elite orchestras by attracting and filling our orchestras with only the most talented and dedicated musicians from the Washington DC Metro Area.

I would like to start with some exciting news for our upper level all string group, formerly known as Chamber Orchestra: it will be now functioning under the title of Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Savignon will continue as Director

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of the Chamber Ensemble. This elite group of string players will train in mostly string repertoire and function as an ‘ensemble of soloists’. Members will be chosen based on their advanced string ability. Emphasis will be placed on communication amongst the sections, and leaders, during rehearsal to incorporate chamber music techniques into orchestral playing.

Repertoire will span from the Baroque era to contemporary music. We will have world famous guest musicians come work with the Ensemble throughout the year.

As many of you know, in August we conducted our search for a new symphony conductor and are thrilled to welcome Simeone Tartagli-

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| MCYO one to our MCYO family. We are very excited about what Simeone will bring, not only to our organization, but also to the musical education of all of the symphony musicians that he will be working with this year! In Symphony, this year our goal will be to expose our students to many different kinds of high quality compositions, to help expose them to a vast array of musical cultures, styles and repertoires and get them musically prepared to be future members of Chamber Ensemble or Philharmonic.

All of our conductors have worked very diligently over the summer months searching for new and exciting repertoire to program for our 2014 season. This year will bring our musicians a variety of new and exciting pieces that will allow them to unlock their full potential as orchestral musicians. For Philharmonic, our first concert, entitled “UNBRIDLED BEAUTY,” will feature multiple works that are known for their organic, rough, unbridled, and well... unrestrained “RAW” power and beauty. This concert will provide the Philharmonic an opportunity to showcase not only it’s sheer orchestral power, but also it’s subtle artistry and musicality. For this concert we will be perform-

ing Rachmaninov’s powerful and primal 1st Symphonic Dance, Mascagni’s moving and poignant Intermezzo from “L’Amico Fritz,” Beethoven’s massive and inspiring Egmont Overture, and the US premier of Saka New ay No Kuma or Clouds over the Slope by composer Joe Hisaishi, a beautiful Japanese work that takes the orchestra and listener through a twisting and turning roller coaster ride of emotions and orchestral colors.

As I mentioned before, we have an amazing once-in-a-life-time season planned and all of our musicians are working extremely hard to hone their craft! We at MCYO can’t wait to get the chance to present all of hard work for you come December. Please mark our concert dates on your calendar and spread the word about our MCYO orchestras, one of Maryland’s best kept musical secrets!

Musically,

Kristofer Sanz

MCYO Music Director and

Philharmonic Conductor

Maestro Sanz conducting MCYO and Strathmore Children’s Chorus

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MCYO | Meet Maestro Tartaglione

MCYO reputation is very well known in our area...but being a part of it and getting to know from inside the people and the organization it was something else for me.

The energy, the numbers, commitment, results accomplished, make of MCYO one of the top youth musical organization I’ve have ever seen in the US as well as Europe.

When I got the job I felt... that in such a competitive, super fast environment... and without espresso machines... I may feel a little uncomfortable....but with my joy, all these results and hyper energetic activities are achieved throughout a very collaborative and fun atmosphere with in mind always the best interest of our students.

When I think how far I was born and now I work so close to the USA capital and conduct other 3 orchestras... I get chills... for how unpredictable life is... But the lesson I’ve learnt from that is that... as long you pursue and believe in your dreams and you are able to endure in difficulties, the path of your future will be open and making the right decisions will be easier. Just you need the right environment. At this point of my life I cannot be more thankful of such a hard decision I needed to make when I decided to leave my beloved Italy to come to this wonderful country.

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I was born in a small little town in Sicily, Agrigento, right in front of the Mediterranean see looking Greek temples and sunsets on the sea from my room window. Even orchestral music was not very developed there, I started piano lessons early.... I was talented the teacher said but... lazy so only God’s generosity saved me from being not a good musician for a few years.

Once I got struck by the music devil I started to practice... a lot!... and for many years... so I was able to finish the craziest exams that Italy requires to be admitted to the conducting school. They lock (yes lock!!!) in a room with a piano (you need to ring a bell to go to the restrooms!) give you a subject of a fugue and give you eighteen

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| MCYO hours to wrote the all fugue for choir in the old 4 clefts with latin words... after a day of rest again locked for 18 hours for a double choir, then again same thing for a violin/piano piece... and several other things... a pure nightmare!!! The only nice thing (besides I passed it and got into conducting at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Roma) was that going out at 3 AM in Piazza di Spagna with my fellow exhausted conductors friends was magical... that city is unreal... and I really hope to bring MCYO there one day soon!

With the crazy life I run now I am fortunate that my main hobby is cooking... It is easy to do with my schedule... I practice, write tons of emails, prepare schedules, parts... And in the mean time I put something on the stove with low fire and of course timer to avoid to burn the house! It would be great one day to do a Italian cooking worksop for our students and parents!

My main goal with MCYO is to blend my Italian education and tradition with the efficient

standards of the US. Italian musicians are taught that every phrase, every note, should have an appropriate meaning, tempo, articulation. Sounds, on their own, are merely sounds. Only when the audience can feel and react to the emotions we put (or, more appropriately, amplify) in the scores, our work is meaningful and we have earned the title of “artist”.

I hope to train the orchestra to be comfortable with shaping tempi, dynamics, with the freedom and innate human need to communicate. I also hope to inspire them so that not only my facial and body language expressions convey the message, that each and every musician’s facial expression and body language will make the audience either cry or laugh!

The wonderful environment MCYO brings to us is such a great gift to our community... And makes my Wed one of the best days of my week... even though I know I am not getting any espresso that afternoon!!

Alumni News - Paul Pascal I played in MCYO in 1951-52, when it was called the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra. I started out in the Junior Orchestra, but was then quickly promoted to the top group at that time, the Symphony, under the baton of founder Chester Petranek. As a junior high student, I was the youngest member of that senior group.

We moved to Prince George’s County and I attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, MD. I went to the University of Maryland for my bachelor’s and to George Washington University for my Law Juris degree. I kept up with music after high school and was accepted into all of the military bands. I chose the U.S. Air Force Band and served from 1955-59, then finished college and law school. I started raising a family and stopped playing the bassoon. I now have five grandchildren and one great grandchild.

I still have my wonderful Heckel bassoon, which I am pleased to pass along to MCYO in time.

My years as a musician and in MCYO led to the Air Force Band, to scholarships for college and a life-long love of music. My advice for aspiring musicians is to PRACTICE! MCYO ALUMNUS Gift: MCYO is grateful for to Mr. Paul Pascal for bequeathing his Heckel bassoon to MCYO. Heckels are valuable bassoons, the top of the line and MCYO is honored to receive this. In the meantime, we thank Mr. Pascal for enabling Philharmonic principal bassoon, Adrianne Kehne, to use this instrument for her senior year in MCYO.

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MCYO | Upcoming Events!

DECEMBER CONCERTS

Tickets are on sale now for the December 8 concert at Strathmore. We urge all of our MCYO families to attend. Call the Strathmore ticket office at 301-581-5100 or purchase ONLINE HERE. Tickets for the December 18 concert at the Cultural Arts Center are available ONLINE. Tickets for the December 15 Chamber Music concert in the CityDance Blackbox Theater at Strathmore will be sold at the door.

NEW! Orchestra Concert Rotations at Strathmore and other venues:

It has long been a strategic goal of the MCYO Board and Artistic and Administrative Staff to re-configure the concert structure for the orchestras to maximize audiences and economize on the high cost of performing in the concert hall here at Strathmore—costs which go up and up every year. Each orchestra deserves to have a fuller house attending, without the audience leaving after one group performs or arriving only when a certain orchestra is on stage. The audience deserves to have a good concert experience, enjoying more fully the musical performance and hard work of our groups without them competing for time on a single long double-concert day. This dilutes the educational experience for all. MCYO wishes to take advantage of other terrific venues in the area for younger or smaller groups, enabling them to take longer with their repertoire and performances as well. We are pleased to present a concert schedule for the 2013-2014 season which reflects these objectives: Sunday, December 8, 4PM At the Music Center at Strathmore: Symphony, Chamber Ensemble and Philharmonic Wednesday, December 18, 7:00PM At the Cafritz Center for the Arts Cultural Arts Center in Takoma Park: Preparatory Strings, Chamber Strings and Young Artists Sunday, March 16, 4PM At the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, Silver Spring: Preparatory Strings, Chamber Strings and Chamber Ensemble Sunday, March 23, 3PM At the Music Center at Strathmore: Young Artists, Symphony and Philharmonic Sunday, May 18, 3PM At the Music Center at Strathmore: Chamber Strings, Young Artists, Chamber Ensemble Wednesday, May 21, 7:30PM At the Music Center at Strathmore: Symphony and Philharmonic.

All MCYO musicians in all groups are to attend free in lieu of reporting for final end of year rehearsal that evening. ...continues on next page...

KUDOS to MCYO Musicians!

Each season, we put on our website, winners of competitions, special achievements and AllState/All-County results for all our MCYO musicians.

Be SURE to check our website for all these awesome achievements and PLEASE share these with us so we can keep this page updated.

CLICK to check this Season’s Listing!

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Upcoming Events! | MCYO Wednesday, May 28, 7:00PM At the Cafritz Center for the Arts Cultural Arts Center in Takoma Park: Preparatory Strings, Harp Ensemble

2013-2014 Concerto Competition: MCYO looks forward to receiving applications for the 2013-2014 Concerto Competition. The piece will be:

Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85. (movements 1 & 2) This year, the winner of the concerto competition will be performing the first two movements of Elgar’s Cello Concerto on March 23 with the Philharmonic on the beautiful Strathmore stage. This competition will be open to all cellists in grades 9-12. Application forms and video’s are due January 13 to the MCYO office.

See flier in the previous page for more information and instructions about applying.

Alumni News - Jheesoo Ahn I played the violin with the MCYO for five consecutive years starting in the 2003-04 season with the Young Artists under Mr. Scott Herman, Symphony (2004-05) under Mr. David Levin, Sinfonia (2005-06) under Mr. Chris Allen and with the Philharmonic (2006-08) under Mrs. Olivia Gutoff and Mr. David Levin. I attended Walt Whitman High School, class of 2008. My older sister used to play the piano for few years and cello for a year.

I went to the University of Maryland, College Park and studied Biology specialized in Neurobiology and Physiology as well as music. I am currently attending Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a Masters in Biochemistry at the VCU School of Medicine. I hope to continue my education in the health profession.

During my freshman year at Maryland, I joined the University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra while receiving individual lessons from graduate students. Then I wanted to understand music at a deeper level so I added-on violin performance major beginning of my sophomore year. While I was a music major, I worked with Dr. Gerald Fischbach and played with the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from Maryland, I came to VCU to further my studies in the sciences and recently joined to play with the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra this season.

The best part about MCYO was playing with the fellow friends who I knew from my middle and high schools. In the end, we grow up together sharing similar musical experiences so the friendship stays with you for a long time. I also remember the time we performed at the Strathmore Hall.

During my stay with MCYO, we moved to the Hall for rehearsals and concerts. Every concert we had at the Strathmore Hall was phenomenal and unforgettable. To this day, I feel grateful and honored that I had a chance to perform there with other fellow members of the orchestra.

As for advice for current MCYO students, I want to tell them to never stop playing!

I realized this later when I entered the college. Unless you play the instrument professionally or as a major, it’s really hard to keep playing and improving. And the time and effort that you put in to be a better musician becomes memories to cherish! So, whatever they may study in the future, I hope that classical music can still be part of their life and never forget that they can always make a difference for themselves and for others.

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MCYO | Relive the Fall Semester MCYO PHOTOS

Here are some of the photos from Fall 2013.

Oct 14: MCYO String Quartet performance at Kreegar Museum

Oct 28: InterPLAY & MCYO Collaborative Concert

Nov 9: Flute Master Class with Aaron Goldman: featuring MCYO Flute Choirs and PHIL Flutists

Nov 11: Violin Improv Master Class with Judy Kang

Nov 17: Clarinet Master Class with Paul Cigan: featuring MCYO Clarinet Choir

and PHIL Clarinetists

Nov 19: National Philharmonic 2nd Grader Concert: NP Conductor Piotr Gajewski and Concerto competition winner Raymond Lin (MCYO PHIL Cellist)

We always add pictures to our Flickr page, click HERE to view.

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MCYO proudly acknowledges financial sponsorship by the following contributors.

• Individual Contributors • Board of Directors • Strathmore Hall Foundation • Maryland State Arts Council • Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County

• The Trawick Foundation • Joseph & Ligia Wiegand Family Foundation • The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

• Lockheed Martin Corporation • Washington Gas & Light Company • Washington Post Company • Montgomery Alliance for Community Giving • The United Way and America’s Charities • Carolyn and Jeffrey Leonard Tuition Scholarship Fund • The Joseph and Rosalind Shifrin Guest Artists Fund • Andreas and Margaret Makris Scholarship Fund • AT&T • IBM • COSTCO

Founded in 1946, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras is the oldest, largest and most established youth orchestra program in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

MCYO not only enriches the community with quality orchestra experiences but “nurtures and develops young talented musicians” by offering three full orchestras, one chamber orchestra, two string orchestras and additional chamber ensembles. Ranging in grades 3-12, nearly 500 talented musicians from around the region participate each season.

For additional information, contact the MCYO administrative offices (301) 581-5208 or 5209

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MCYO gratefully acknowledges our major funders: