Getting Into the String of Things

Getting Into the String of Things

YOUTH ORCHESTRA MAKES BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER

Pia the Peacekeeper came into the world to a fanfare of strings.

BY GEORGE SOLTES PHOTOS COURTESY BI YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Members of the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra provided the soundtrack at Pia’s August unveiling at Sakai Park, playing “Adventures on Bainbridge Island” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King” as the 18-foot-tall wooden troll, the creation of Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo, was introduced to her new home.

When BIYO conductor Justine Jeanotte got the call to perform at the troll’s Saturday morning debut, there was one obvious problem: the event was less than 72 hours away. “My first thought was, ‘Wow, that’s very early in the morning and not a lot of time to prepare,’” Jeanotte recalled.

Violinist Angeline Hamilton, a BHS sophomore, shared Jeanotte’s concerns. “It was fun, but a little nerve-racking,”

Hamilton said. “I had some of the solo parts, so I was up that morning at 5 a.m. preparing them because I didn’t want it to crash and burn.” Despite having just a single rehearsal to learn the pieces, the orchestra pulled it together in time to welcome Pia to the island in style.

The Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra has a long history of responding and adapting to the needs of its community. The orchestra was founded in 2001 by a group of parents and music instructors to fill a void created by the lack of programs for string musicians in the public schools. “This whole organization sprang up because the Bainbridge Island community wanted access to orchestra education for their kids,” said BIYO music director Nathan Rødahl.

Over the years, BIYO has grown into a tiered system, which accommodates young violin, viola, cello and bass musicians at every skill level. There are four orchestras, starting with the Prelude Orchestra, which plays a beginning repertoire, then advancing through the Debut Orchestra, the Symphonic Orchestra and, at the highest level, the Chamber Orchestra. Jeanotte is the music director of the Prelude and Debut Orchestras while Rødahl helms the Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras.

For the newest and youngest aspiring players, BIYO began offering Beginner Strings, a biweekly after school program, in the fall of 2022. Taught by both seasoned teachers and high-school-age student teachers, Beginner Strings offers students as early as kindergarten a chance to pick up the bow. Third grader Ada Fulton learned to play cello in Beginner Strings’ inaugural year and is now ready to advance to the Prelude Orchestra. For Fulton, the rewards of playing greatly outweigh the downsides of toting an instrument nearly as big as herself. “It’s really fun,” she said, “and I like the way it sounds.”

BIYO has never been content to rest on past successes. After a concerted effort and a lot of red tape cutting, students will, for the first time ever, be able to receive high school credit for participation in BIYO starting this fall.

There are also plans to take the orchestra on the road, starting with a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, this season, possibly followed by a tour of Eastern Europe in the future. Beyond giving the kids a fun adventure, Rødahl explained that travel can be “a huge part of seeing the way that music can be their passport to the world.”

And remember “Adventures on Bainbridge Island,” the piece that opened the concert for Pia the troll? That

composition, by Alan Lee Silva, was commissioned by BIYO nearly a decade ago and subsequently became a best seller and a mainstay for youth orchestras around the country. Plans are under way to obtain funding to commission Silva to write a sequel to that beloved work for a future special performance to celebrate the history of BIYO.

Even as BIYO continues to evolve, its core mission--to make orchestra education available to every kid on Bainbridge Island who wants to try it-remains the same. “Anybody who wants an experience in music that is more fun, where the goal of meeting every week is to make music that we enjoy, should just reach out to us,” Rødahl said, “and we’ll find a spot for them. We don’t turn anybody away. We find a spot for everybody. And we would love to make music with more kids.”

Want to attend a free BIYO concert or get a kid started in orchestra? Visit biyo.us.