May 2019 Vol. XIX No. 3A
Orchestrating Lifelong Participation in the Arts 1629 22nd Ave SE, Olympia WA 98501 360-352-1438 | studentorchestras.org studentorchestras@gmail.com
MAY CONCERT DISTINGUISHED SPONSOR
Donors Like You Provide Special Moments
Cameron May, Music Director The May 19 concert closes out our 2018-19 season, my first as Music Director. While even the day-to-day running of SOGO would not be possible without donor support, some special moments from this year stick in my mind. • Filling the Washington Center with a sea of students performing “Mambo” together. • Watching our brass players learn from a SOGO alum who has made his way in the music world. • Traveling with the Academy Orchestra to share the joy of music making with elementary and middle school students around the region. These opportunities, above and beyond the scope of our weekly rehearsal schedule and season concerts, are so memorable for our students, and as Music Director I could not be more grateful for the support that makes this possible.
Come to hear more special moments at the Washington Center on Sunday, May 19 at 4pm. Tickets: washingtoncenter.org or (360) 753-8586.
Carter, Emma, and Ian Conquer Contemporary Concerto
L-R: Ian Rigg, Emma Tranum, Carter Rowell
"Carter, Emma, and Ian are ideal students. They have the right balance of intuition and openmindedness to tackle this project, and they have led by example throughout their many years in SOGO." ~ Cameron May
Conservatory Orchestra musicians Carter Rowell, Emma Tranum, and Ian Rigg are looking forward to dazzling audiences with Anthony Plog's littleknown triple concerto for trumpet, horn, and trombone at the May 19 SOGO concert. "This may only be the second performance of this concerto," laughs Music Director Cameron May. "The concerto is a new and different journey for all of us. None of us have been able to track down even a recording! This means that rehearsal time is spent methodically discovering and dissecting in a way that has not been necessary at any other point this year." "We really have to be creative and figure this out for ourselves in a way that we’ve never had to do before," says Emma, French horn. "It’s an exciting challenge." Trumpet player Carter describes learning the concerto, "One thing that makes it so difficult to bring to life is its level of technical difficulty. In the midst of quick interval jumps and passages that require multi-tonguing, it can be especially difficult to remember that there are melodies underneath that need to be emphasized!" All three musicians are seniors at Olympia High School and believe their years of playing together have helped them tackle this demanding work. "We've played together in various different groups since 8th grade, and as a result, I have gotten to know their playing extremely well," says Ian, trombone. "This is an incredibly important factor in playing a piece as difficult as the Plog is, because a large part of playing this kind of music is all about communication between me, Carter, and Emma." "One of the biggest strengths we have as a group is that we’ve all played together for so long," agrees Emma. "We really know each other as musicians and work well together after so much time spent making music together. I think that as a whole is more important than any of our individual strengths." It's clear that Carter, Emma, and Ian have great respect for (Cont'd on p.2)