VYO Chorus & Concert Chorale Give DEBUT Performance in December!

Conductor Jeffrey Buettner leads the VYOA choral ensembles in their first public performances at the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael’s College on Friday, December 14 at 8:00 pm. The treble Concert Chorale and mixed-voice Chorus feature outstanding middle and high school vocalists from across the region. They will present a unique program blending traditional, popular, sacred and secular music with songs of the holiday season.

Highlights include "Trilogy of Dreams", a song cycle by Chicago composer Rollo Dilworth set to words by Langston Hughes and an uncommon English carol called "The Lily and the Rose." "Five Hebrew Love Songs" by Eric Whitacre is an arrangement for chorus and string quartet, sung in Hebrew to poetry written by the composer's wife, Hila Plitmann. "Give Us Hope" and "Kolenna sawa" by Jim Papoulis blend Middle Eastern and Western rhythms and vocal sounds with language celebrating harmony and understanding. The program also includes "And the Glory of the Lord" from Handel’s Messiah and Leroy Anderson’s holiday classic, Sleigh Ride.

Ticket Prices: Adults/Seniors $5 & Students $2. Tickets available at the door.
Information: 655-5030.

Let the Bidding Begin! The VYOA’s Online Auction Officially Open!

Whether you are looking for something unique for yourself, searching for a gift for a special someone, or looking to add a little adventure to your life, you are sure to find something in our auction catalog. The online gallery boasts a plethora of wonderful choices: A hot air balloon ride, a visit to your book club by VT author Chris Bohjalian, autographed Grace Potter and the Nocturnals memorabilia, an overnight stay at the Stoweflake Resort, hand crafted knits, soaps, pottery and jewelry, gift baskets and tickets to local performance events...and more. All proceeds from the auction directly support the VYOA orchestral and choral programs.

Tell Your Friends. The success of this online auction depends on spreading the word to as many people as possible. We need your help. Please refer a friend and encourage them to participate so they don't miss a single moment of the fun and excitement.

Donate Items. It's not too late to post an item for donation. We'll be adding items right up until the auction closes on Monday, November 26. If you have any questions, call the VYOA at 655-5030. Thank you for supporting the first-ever VYOA online auction!

The VYO Auction is sponsored by Handy Pontiac Cadillac Buick GMC in St. Albans and Creative Sound in Williston.

Vermont-Taped "From the Top" Segment airs on VPR

VYO Horn player Katie Jordan performed on "From the Top" with host Christopher O’Reilly, at the Chandler Music Hall in September. This taped performance will be broadcast on Sunday, December 2 on the stations of Vermont Public Radio.

4:00 pm on VPR Classical (90.9 FM) | 6:00 pm on VPR (107.9 FM)
Information: www.vpr.net

"The China Project"—A Special Broadcast on VPT

Last summer, the Vermont Youth Orchestra toured China, performing at concert halls from Beijing to Hong Kong, from Shanghai to The Great Wall. The journey was filled with wonder and exhaustion, haunting sights and beautiful music, bringing our young musicians face-to-face with a different culture. Working with the Young Writers Project and YWP advisor Daniel Houghton, a recent graduate of Middlebury College, the students documented the tour through recorded audio essays, video and written text. First, they created a multi-media blog, located at youngwritersproject.org. Now, the Young Writers Project has re-created the project as a video documentary. Glimpse China through the eyes of these remarkable teens. The complete documentary airs Thursday, Dec. 27 at 8:00 pm on Vermont Public Television.

Information: www.vpt.org or www.youngwritersproject.org

Endangered Instruments Program

String Bass. French Horn. Bassoon. Musicians who play these instruments are always in demand, yet players for these sections of the orchestra are often difficult to recruit. Two years ago, the VYOA quietly launched an initiative to help fill the string bass sections of the organization's four orchestras. The VYOA began offering free private lessons to any young student who wished to learn to how to play the bass. This year, we have full bass sections in every one of our orchestras, and the program was expanded to include French horn students.

Currently we have 16 students studying the bass and the horn under the VYOA’s Endangered Instruments Program. Plans are underway to add bassoon lessons to the mix. For more information, contact Music Director Troy Peters at 655-5030, ext. 102.

The Endangered Instruments Program is possible thanks to a generous grant from the Institute for Clinical Science and Art.

Register for the Winter Session of Presto

This introductory program teaches young string players the skills involved in learning how to play in an ensemble, how to watch and listen to a conductor and basic fundamentals of orchestra etiquette. Each session concludes with a final concert for friends and family. Rehearsals for the next session of Presto will take place at the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael’s College from January 26 through February 23, 2008. To register, download a registration form, complete it and return to the VYOA office with your payment no later than January 19, 2008.

Presto Fall Concert

The Vermont Youth Orchestra Association’s Presto students present their annual fall concert on Saturday, November 10 at 11:00 am. Led by Essex conductor Asiat ("Ace") Ali, they will present a short program of traditional folk songs and works by Brahms, Streabog and Wohlfahrt at the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael’s College. Free and open to the public. Information: 655-5030

Vermont Youth Chamber Winds Fall Concert

The Vermont Youth Chamber Winds present their annual fall concert on Saturday, December 8 at 1:00 pm at the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael’s College. Coached by VYCW Director Berta Frank, this annual concert features a short program of diverse music for woodwind ensembles. Free and open to the public.
Information: 655-5030

‘Tis the Season for Orchestrapalooza

The Vermont Youth Orchestra Association presents Orchestrapalooza on Sunday, December 16 at 4:00 p.m. at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.The Vermont Youth Strings, Sinfonia, Philharmonia and VYO will be joined in this year’s presentation by the newly formed VYO Chorus.

Over two hundred and fifty student musicians and eighty-eight vocalists will perform during Orchestrapalooza, a highly anticipated event that offers young VYOA musicians their first experience performing on the MainStage at the historic Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.

Individual orchestra performances will be augmented by "And the Glory of the Lord" from Handel’s Messiah, performed by the VYO Chorus and accompanied by the VYO string ensemble. The VYO will also present the Concerto in D minor for Oboe and Strings with Essex High School senior and VYO principal oboist, Zina Ward as the soloist. The concert finale features a combined VYOA orchestra and chorus of over 130 members who will join forces to perform Leroy Anderson’s 1948 holiday classic, Sleigh Ride.

Ticket prices: Adults/Seniors: $10 & Students: $5. All tickets are available through the Flynn Box Office. To purchase tickets call 86-FLYNN or visit www.flynntix.org

This concert is sponsored by

VYO at First Night Burlington

Conductor Troy Peters leads the VYO in "A Celebration of American Music", a program of festive works by Aaron Copland and Morton Gould, plus film music from "The Pirates of the Caribbean". Montpelier violinist and VYO member Owen Kevra-Lenz presents the first movement of Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto. And, the orchestra presents the world premiere of a new composition by VT MIDI composer and VYO cellist Joshua Morris.

In addition to this concert, several VYO Members will be sharing memories of their recent tour of China during First Night Burlington. The Young Writers Project will host two special presentations of "The China Project", during which students will read from their essays, show slides and answer questions about their recent concert tour. Both presentations take place in the FlynnSpace at 2:00pm and 6:00pm.

Information & Buttons: 863-6005 or www.firstnightburlington.com
Young Writer’s Project: www.youngwritersproject.org

This concert is sponsored by

Coming in January: VYO Winter Concert, "Orpheus Revisited"

In a less scandalous reprise of the mythical romance of Orpheus and Eurydice, the VYO and the Amelia Piano Trio present a new triple concerto written by New York composer Daron Hagen. A frequent collaborator with the VYO, Daron wrote the memorable Emmanuel Fugue, performed by the VYO in 2005. In 2006, he wrote "Gesture Drawings" for the VYO, paying homage to the creative process also used by Mussorsky to write "Pictures at an Exhibition". The work was inspired by original artworks created by four VT students.

The new "Orpheus and Eurydice" Triple Concerto was commissioned by a consortium of pre-professional orchestras including the Corvallis Youth Symphony (Corvallis, OR), the Hartt School Orchestra (Hartford, CT), the Chicago Youth Symphony, the Cal Poly Symphony (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo CA) and the VYO.

Amelia violinist Anthea Kreston adds, "We are thrilled to return to Burlington to work with the VYO, an outstanding orchestra with a reputation for passionate performances and innovative projects. Burlington is one of those rare cities that foster its arts community on many different levels. I think the "Orpheus and Eurydice" concerto is a perfect example of this. Bringing together a world class conductor, young musicians, a composer of international stature, and a young professional trio will prove to be an exciting mix. We look forward to bringing this wonderful new triple concerto to Vermont!"

"Orpheus Revisited"
Troy Peters, conductor | Amelia Piano Trio
January 19, 2008 - 7:30 pm at Harwood Union High School, Duxbury
Tickets: Adults/Seniors $5 Students $2. Tickets available at the door.
January 20, 2008 - 3:00 p.m. Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: 86-Flynn or www.flynntix.org
VYO Season Sponsor: Champlain Orthodontic Associates, LTD
Media Sponsor: WCAX TV-3

Make An Investment In Our Programs This Year

The VYOA is launching our Annual Fundraising Campaign later this month with a mailing to several thousand individuals and businesses, and we hope that you will now begin considering how you might support our programs this season. The VYOA Board of Directors recently engaged a consultant to complete an assessment of our fundraising programs and create a three-year development plan for the organization. Through this process, it has become clear that this year is an especially crucial one with respect to our plans for the future. The VYOA has experienced several years of significant growth in both student numbers and artistic quality, but our fundraising efforts have not kept pace with our evolving programs. This year we must increase our funds raised by at least $50,000 in order to balance our operating budget.

We encourage you to give thoughtful consideration to the annual fundraising request when it arrives in your mailbox. If you'd rather not wait for this request to arrive, please know that you can support our programs at any time by sending your tax-deductible gift to: VYOA, 223 Ethan Allen Avenue, Colchester VT 05446. Donations are also accepted online by clicking the "Support VYOA" button on our home page at www.vyo.org. Thank you very much!