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Delaware County
Youth Orchestra
Year in Review: 2006-2007 Season The 35th season of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra was a highly successful year, marked by inspired performances of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in the fall and Tchaikovsky's lushly romantic Fourth Symphony in the spring. During this season conductor and music director Brad Smith has continued to motivate his talented young players by programming an exciting and challenging repertoire and eliciting exceptionally high levels of performance – all the while maintaining a positive, supportive atmosphere that encourages each student musician to grow and reach his or her full potential. Membership of the orchestra The Delaware County Youth Orchestra is a highly selective, full-size symphony orchestra, 86 members strong during the 2006-2007 season. DCYO members come from a wider geographic area than the name implies: during the 2006-2007 season, 50% came from Delaware County, 28% from Chester County, 20% from Montgomery County, 1% from Berks County, and 1% from Philadelphia. Approximately 96% of the members were high school students, the majority of whom were juniors and seniors, and 4% were in middle school. Approximately 75% attended public schools, 13% attended private schools, and 12% were schooled at home. During 2006-2007, male students comprised 41% of the orchestra members, female students 59% . DCYO members tend to be high achievers, both musically and academically. Over a third of our seniors graduating in June 2007 are going on to major in music, some at such schools as the Curtis Institute, the Eastman School of Music, the Hartt School of Music, and Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Other June graduates are going on to such highly selective schools as Brown, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and Penn. (For further information, see "Members activities and accomplishments" below.) Conductor Brad Smith was named Conductor and Music Director of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season. Dr. Smith is also on the faculty of the Music Department at the University of Pennsylvania, where he conducts the Penn Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, and the Wind Ensemble. Prior to his appointment at Penn in 2003, he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting and Master of Music degree in wind band conducting from the University of Texas at Austin. During that time, he served as Music Director of the University Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphony Band. Before beginning graduate studies, Dr. Smith taught for four years in the Texas public schools. Dr. Smith is a founding member of the College Orchestra Directors Association, having given a keynote presentation at the first national conference of this organization in the summer of 2004 in Cleveland, Ohio. He has participated in master classes with leading conductors such as Larry Rachleff, Otto Werner-Mueller, and Christoph Eschenbach. In May of 2006, Dr. Smith was a conducting participant in a workshop focusing on large choral/orchestral masterworks and featuring the Mannes College of Music Orchestra, the Philadelphia Singers, and distinguished conductors David Hayes, Duain Wolfe, Vance George, Alan Harler, and Amy Kaiser. 2006-2007 concert season Returning for his second concert season with the Delaware County Youth Orchestra, Brad Smith again demonstrated his ample abilities as both an educator and a conductor. This year welcomed in a large number of new violinists. These students, though exceptionally talented, were relatively untested. Hard work and dedication of conductor and musicians alike resulted in impressively strong fall concert performances. DCYO played to an enthusiastic audience for the season's opening concert on November 19 at Neumann College. This concert featured Beethoven’s ever-popular Fifth Symphony and Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Also featured at this performance were two movements from Debussy’s Nocturnes: (i) Nuages and (ii) Fetes. The fall concert program was repeated on December 3 at Upper Darby Performing Arts Center. This concert was also warmly received and a perfect close for the fall season. These very successful concerts set the stage for even more spectacular performances in the coming spring season. The major works presented for the spring 2007 concerts included Tchaikovsky’s lushly romantic Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Mozart's light-hearted Overture to The Magic Flute, and Rimsky-Korsakov's masterfully orchestrated Capriccio Espagnol. This ambitious program was first presented on April 22 in an afternoon concert at Haverford High School. The concert program was repeated on May 1 in the evening at Strath Haven High School. Both concerts, showcasing the talents of our student orchestra as well as many individual soloists, were met with great audience enthusiasm. Congratulations to all of the dedicated DCYO musicians under the direction of Dr. Brad Smith. Performance hours The DCYO Performance Hour is a semi-annual event eagerly anticipated by the orchestra members. This program, featuring members of the orchestra as soloists and chamber musicians, gives the students a chance to perform in a friendly, intimate setting for their friends, family, and peers, and to socialize during the reception that follows the performance. These evenings allow the students to perform pieces that they have prepared outside of the orchestra rehearsal time. At times students perform on instruments other than the ones they play in DCYO; occasionally students present original works that they have written. In December, we held the first-semester Performance Hour at the beautiful Swarthmore Presbyterian Church. Violinist Anne Cawley performed an original work on the piano. Jamie Lee, Hannah Volpert, and Peter Volpert performed a string trio. Percussionist David Himmer performed on marimba, violinist Jennifer Campbell performed on piano, and Rachyl Duffy and Amy Semes performed violin solos accompanied by Chris Emata, mother of cellist Jeremy Emata. The spring Performance Hour was held on May 8 at the orchestra's rehearsal home, Newtown Square Presbyterian Church. The program featured concertmaster Jamie Lee playing a movement from the Dvorak violin concerto, violinist Amy Semes playing solo Bach, Jennifer Campbell performing Gershwin's preludes on piano, and cellist Kee Yeo performing a movement from the Saint-Saëns cello concerto. Some musicians brought other musicians from their family along. Kelly Smith performed a violin and guitar duet with her father, and DCYO clarinetist Rebecca Selin was joined by her sister Hannah to perform Rebecca Clarke's Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for Viola and Clarinet. This last work was a preview of the duo's performance at the 2007 Tri-County Youth Festival Concert as first-place winners in the senior ensemble division of the Tri-County competition.
Camp
Tockwogh rehearsal weekend Approximately 95% of our students were able to attend this program on the weekend of September 16-17, 2006. The weekend consisted of several intensive rehearsals interspersed with ample time for lively camaraderie. Conductor Brad Smith demonstrated his superb abilities as educator and mentor as well as conductor, and the students responded enthusiastically. During rehearsals visitors and passersby were treated to strains of the Beethoven’s hugely popular Fifth Symphony as well as snippets from Debussy’s Nocturnes and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. During their free time students found no shortage of activities, which ranged from archery and rock-wall climbing to water sports on the bay shore. The evening beachfront bonfire under starry skies was one of many highlights. As always, the retreat was a great success, stimulating the orchestra to develop as an ensemble both musically and socially. Sectional rehearsals As has been the tradition, the Delaware County Youth Orchestra held its sectionals twice during the 2006-2007 season, once in the fall and once in the spring. These rehearsals split the orchestra into brass, percussion, woodwinds, and the individual string sections. Professionals are invited in to work with each section on their particular technical challenges and musical nuances. After this evening of specialized work, the orchestra comes together stronger than before – and with a better understanding of the works that are being studied. The musicians that DCYO invites come from the many wonderful professional orchestras in Philadelphia. They perform in the Philadelphia Opera Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, among others, and have even included some alumni. Our coaches this year have included Paul Bryan on brass; Bill Wozniak on percussion; Allison Herz and Ted Pasternak on woodwinds; Donna Wurzer Rudolph, Lori Simpson, Anne Peterson, Lesa Bubak, Tom Kraines, and Ovidiu Marinescu for our strings. Our students greatly appreciate the time working with these fine musicians and grow musically from each sectional. For the 2006-2007 season, DCYO's sectional rehearsals were sponsored in full by a generous grant from the Strine Foundation.
Members' activities and accomplishments During the 2006-2007 season, DCYO members achieved significant musical honors. Although only about one-half of the orchestra members take part in district, regional, and state orchestra and band festivals, twelve members won seats in the 2007 Pennsylvania Music Educators All-State Honors Orchestra and Jazz Ensembles. In addition, more than a few DCYO members won seats as principals in PMEA district and regional orchestras and bands, including concertmaster, principal cello, principal double bass, principal flute, principal bassoon, principal trumpet, and principal tuba. DCYO members were winners in several concerto competitions during the 2006-2007 season, including competitions sponsored by the Kennett Symphony Orchestra, the Lansdowne Symphony, and the Wilmington Community Orchestra. In addition, members were winners in such young musicians competitions as the Tri-County Youth Festival, the West Chester University Piano Competition, and the American Harp Society National Competition. At least seven members received significant scholarships at area chamber music programs, including Darlington Fine Arts Center, Settlement Music School, Temple Music Prep, and Wilmington Music School. For further information, please see the appended list of "DCYO Distinguished Members, 2006-2007: Music Awards and Achievements." DCYO June 2007 graduates include at least two National Merit Scholars and at least three more students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program. June graduates are going on to such highly selective schools as Brown, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and Penn. Over a third of the graduating seniors are majoring in music: they will be attending such schools as the Curtis Institute, the Eastman School of Music, the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford), Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, and Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music. For further information, please see the enclosed list of "DCYO June 2007 Graduates." Delaware Valley Young Musicians’ Orchestra The Delaware Valley Young Musicians' Orchestra (YMO) was established in 1989 as a less advanced version of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra. It performs a mixture of classical arrangements, contemporary music and popular music for full orchestra at a high-school level. Each year a number of players advance to the Delaware County Youth Orchestra. The YMO in 2006-07 had over 80 young players in grades 5-12. This full symphonic group consists of strings, harp, winds, percussion, and brass instruments. The average grade is 8.7. They come from 16 different school districts and more than 30 schools. Over 58 private teachers are responsible for training these talented young people. Two free concerts are prepared each year. On December 3, 2006, the Delaware Valley Young Musicians' Orchestra played at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, performing works by Bob Cerulli, Richard Wagner, Charles Gounod, Mikhail Glinka, and John Williams . On April 29, 2007, the orchestra played at Neumann College's Meagher Theatre. The concert featured works by Franz von Suppé, Elliot Del Borgo, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and W.A. Mozart, and included such pops favorites as a medley of themes from The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Hang ‘Em High. Since the fall of 2000, David Reif has shared the conducting position with A. Scott Kiehner. Each conductor conducts half of the rehearsals and half of each program. Mr. Reif teaches music and piano in the Radnor Middle School and conducts the Chester County Concert Band. Mr. Kiehner is an instrumental and general music teacher in Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. At the close of this season, Mr. Reif will be leaving the orchestra to pursue other musical activities. Mrs. Elizabeth Klinger, string teacher in the Springfield School District, will be the new co-conductor. The operating board of this orchestra consists of teachers, parents, and volunteers from the community. The YMO is sponsored under the corporate umbrella of DCYO. Barbara Ostroff, manager and founder of this group, is a string teacher and president of the board of the Delaware County Symphony.
A look ahead to the 2007-2008 season DCYO members have an exciting season to look forward to this September. The fall repertoire will feature great orchestral masterpieces from the Romantic period, including Berlioz's alternately lively and lyrical Roman Carnival Overture, Liszt's grandiose Les Préludes, and Brahms' beloved Symphony No. 2, sometimes characterized as his "pastoral" symphony. The spring repertoire has not yet been finalized at the time of this writing, but is sure to include a similarly exciting and challenging repertoire. For the most up-to-date information on the concert season, visit the orchestra's web site at www.dcyo.org and click on the "Concerts" button.
DCYO Distinguished
Members, 2006-2007: Erica Ball, violin – Composition for string quartet (say nothing…nothing) selected to be performed at Andrea Clearfield's Salon Series, February 2007; summer program at the Walden School for Young Composers, Dublin, NH, summer 2007. Madeline Blood, harp – Soloist with the Independence Sinfonia, fall 2006; finalist, advanced division of the 2007 American Harp Society National Competition. Jennifer Campbell, violin – Winner (on piano), 2007 Wilmington Community Orchestra concerto competition; second place, 2007 West Chester University piano competition; second place, senior piano division, 2007 Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival; Amateur Chamber Music Scholarship recipient and Athena Scholarship recipient at Darlington Fine Arts Center; 2007 Strings International music camp. Anne Cawley, violin – Member, Volante Chamber Ensemble and Avalare Strings; volunteer, summer 2007 music camp near Chernobyl for Ukrainian orphans sponsored by the Kiev Symphony Orchestra. Julian Clement, bassoon – Chamber music program at Settlement Music School, 2006-2007; Luzerne Music Center, summer 2007. John Drennan, viola – PMEA All-State Orchestra. Rachyl Duffy, violin – Scholarship recipient, Wilmington Music School; performed in David Kim master class at Wilmington Music School; 2007 Summer Chamber Music Camp, Wilmington Music School. Barbara Eisele, trumpet – Principal trumpet, PMEA District 12 Orchestra and District 12 Band; principal trumpet, PMEA Region VI Orchestra and Region VI Band. Jonathan Eldridge, violin – PMEA All-State Orchestra. Timothy Feil, oboe – Weinstein Advanced Study Woodwind Quintet at Settlement Music School; master classes with Richard Woodhams, Ricardo Morales, Daniel Matsukawa, and Jennifer Montone. Patrick Fisher, clarinet – Settlement Music School Chamber Music Program, 2006-2007; Kimmel Center 2007 Summer Arts Camp. Matthew Frankel, tuba – Principal tuba, PMEA District 12 Band; PMEA All-State Chorus (as a second tenor). Allison Hume, oboe – Performed in the Nelly Berman School Rising Stars Concert as a participant in the NBS chamber music program; Kinhaven Music School, senior session, summer 2007. Caroline Kane, viola – Music in the Mountains, summer 2007; New England Music Camp, summer 2007. Kristen Kapalka, violin – Amateur Chamber Music Scholarship recipient at Darlington Fine Arts Center, 2006-2007. Seth Kelley, horn – Settlement Music School chamber music program, 2006-2007; Kimmel Center Summer Music Camp, 2007. Daniel Koo, violin – PMEA All-State Orchestra. Yuki Koyama, principal cello – Winner, Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra 2007 concerto competition (as a member of a violin-cello-piano trio, along with DCYO violinist Justin Ying); soloist with the Independence Sinfonia; honorable mention, Kennett Symphony Orchestra concerto competition; principal cello, PMEA District 12 Orchestra and Region VI Orchestra; PMEA All-State Orchestra; scholarship recipient, Heifetz International Music Institute, summer 2007. Alexandra LaMonaca, viola – Selected to perform at the Kimmel Center in fall 2007 as a member of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Bicentennial Orchestra. Jamie Lee, concertmaster - Winner, Kennett Symphony Orchestra 2006-2007 concerto competition; honorable mention, senior strings division, 2007 Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival; Starling Scholarship recipient for chamber music program at Temple Music Prep; performed on Public Radio's "From The Top," spring 2007, as member of the Temple Music Prep Chamber Orchestra; concertmaster, PMEA District 12 Orchestra; co-concertmaster, PMEA Region VI Orchestra; PMEA All-State Orchestra; Kimmel Center 2007 Summer Arts Camp. Adrian Lucy, horn – Settlement Music School chamber music program, 2006-2007. Stephen Lyons, double bass – Principal double bass, PMEA District 12 Orchestra and Region VI Orchestra; solo double bass for PMEA All-State Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Alex Martinez, double bass – PMEA All-State Orchestra. Kate McGlinchey, flute – Principal flute, PMEA District 10 Orchestra and Band. Jim McMullen, trumpet – Principal trumpet of a marching band winning second place in the nationally rated Gator Bowl Parade Competition (Penncrest High School marching band). Shelly Mohr, bassoon – Luzerne Music Center, summer 2007. Blandine Mooser, viola – Summer music program at Jeunesse Musicale de Suisse. Julia Morelli, cello – Advanced study scholarship recipient, Settlement Music School 2007-2008 chamber music program. Charlie Pokorny, double bass – Associate principal double bass, PMEA All-State Orchestra. Andrew Price, trombone – Bravo Brass chamber music program; Cedarville University's Honor Band, summer 2007; Csehy Summer School of Music, summer 2007. Rebecca Schriver, clarinet – Northeast Music Camp, summer 2007. Rebecca Selin, clarinet – First-place winner, senior ensemble division, 2007 Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival; Settlement Music School chamber music program, 2006-2007; Kinhaven Music School, summer 2007. Amy Semes, violin – Soloist with the Ocean City Pops, fall 2006; Aspen Music Festival and School, summer 2007. Melanie Shafer, bassoon – Principal bassoon, PMEA District 12 Orchestra; PMEA All-State Orchestra. Elisabeth Shertzer, violin – 2007 Strings International music camp. Anu Somashekar, violin – Music in the Mountains chamber music program, summer 2007. Hannah Volpert, violin – PMEA All-State Orchestra; co-founder, manager, and violist of the Melodia String Quartet. Peter Volpert, cello – Associate principal cello, PMEA All-State Orchestra; member, Melodia String Quartet. Sean Wood, violin – PMEA All-State Orchestra. Justin Ying, violin – Winner, Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra 2007 concerto competition (as a member of a violin-cello-piano trio, along with DCYO principal cellist Yuki Koyama); New York Summer Music Festival, summer 2007.
Delaware County Youth
Orchestra Erica Ball, violin – Bard College, music and environmental studies. Madeline Blood, harp – Curtis Institute of Music, harp performance, studying with Judy Loman and Elizabeth Hainen. Rebecca Coppa, harp – Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, harp performance, studying with Susann MacDonald. Jonathan Eldridge, violin – Brown University, major undecided. Justin Emata, percussion – George Washington University Elliott School for International Affairs. Matthew Frankel, tuba – Temple University Honors College, pre-med with a minor in music. Emily Gharavi, viola – Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford), viola performance, studying with Steve Larson. Christopher Hawthorn, trumpet – Participating in a one-year program at the Forerunner School of Ministry in Kansas City before going on to college. Rob Heald, cello – University of Maryland School of Music, cello performance, studying with Evelyn Elsing. Andrew Kang, clarinet – A National Merit Scholar, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Kristen Kapalka, violin – A National Merit Scholarship Finalist, Case Western Reserve University, double degree program in biomedical engineering and music. Douglas Krupiak, double bass – Eastman School of Music, double bass performance, studying with James VanDemark. Adrian Lucy, horn – Simon's Rock College with a merit scholarship, liberal arts. Alex Martinez, double bass – University of Delaware, math education. Sarah McGahey, flute - Temple University Esther Boyer College of Music, studying with Kazuo Tokito. Kate McGlinchey, flute – A National Merit Commended Student, Temple University Honors College, major undecided with a minor in music. Jim McMullen, trumpet – Cornell University, engineering. Bryant Peng, viola – Penn State University, major undecided. Melissa Phreaner, horn – A National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholar, Johns Hopkins University, major undecided. Patrick Richers, percussion – Catholic University of America, politics. Kendal Smiley, violin – Hofstra University, music merchandizing. Lauren Trexler, violin – Temple University, major undecided. Hannah Volpert, violin – A National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, performing a year of volunteer service, in part at Holden Village, a Christian retreat center in Washington state, before entering the University of Delaware Honors College in Fall 2008. Sean Wood, violin – McGill University, literature and music history. Kayla Young, horn – West Chester University, major undecided. To download one or more DCYO newsletters, click on the following:
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PO Box 143
Media, PA 19063