VYOA News & Updates

Our third annual Autumn Promenade was a spectacularly memorable event. One of the highlights for me was conducting our combined instrumental and vocal forces in the evening’s musical finale: Gloria in excelsis, from Vivaldi’s Gloria. Since 2007, the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association has offered vocal ensemble opportunities designed to empower young Vermonters to develop a lifelong passion for singing. Our vocal students perform great choral repertoire under the guidance of expert conductors, who are recognized as educational leaders in our state. They also take part—as they did at Autumn Promenade—in important collaborations with their instrumental peers at the VYOA. Choral-orchestral performances provide our students valuable experiences that broaden their artistic understanding, and expose them to a wider range of inspiring repertoire.

As I conducted the first rehearsal for our performance of the Gloria, I watched with excitement to see musical discoveries being made by players and singers alike while they worked together. One of the great privileges of my role as music director is facilitating occasions like this, when our students’ musical horizons expand before their very ears. Thank you to everyone who helped make Autumn Promenade a wonderful evening for our friends and supporters, as well as an important musical experience for our talented students.

Don’t miss the next choral-orchestral offering at the VYOA—it’ll be a new and inspiring feature of this year’s OrchestraChorusPalooza!

Musically Yours,
Benjamin Klemme
Music Director

This past Sunday fifteen 2nd-through-5th graders gathered at Elley-Long Music Center and became orchestral musicians as the first members of the VYOA’s new year-long beginner string ensemble program: Prelude! Having had no previous string-playing experience, they were introduced to their conductor, given instruments, and even played their first orchestral piece together. Meanwhile, the Vermont Youth Orchestra was down the hall rehearsing Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in preparation for their first subscription concert of the season. This concurrent display of the range of music learning opportunities available to young Vermonters through our weekly programming was mirrored chorally when, later in the week, members of the Vermont Youth Chorus and Chorale invited friends to attend Bring a Friend Night. Our middle and high school guests explored great repertoire alongside peers with shared musical interests and under the expert guidance of the VYOA’s passionate vocal educators. Thank you for supporting the VYOA, and for helping us spread the word as we work together to inspire every child to fill our world with music.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Vermont Youth Philharmonia Fall Concert on September 23 at Elley-Long, and the Vermont Youth Orchestra’s first installment of “Tchaikovsky in Vermont” at the Flynn on September 24.

We’ve just announced our 54th season in this month’s e-newsletter! Click here to learn more, and enjoy a special message from Music Director Benjamin Klemme.

Nate Gunter, bass trombone
BFA St. Albans High School
Joined VYOA in 2012
VYO – 3 years
VT Youth Philharmonia – 1 year
Sinfonia – 1 year

What do you love about playing your instrument? 
I love the way it can take me away from my stresses and problems, if only for an hour or two.

What has been the most memorable piece that you performed/had with VYO?
Dvorak’s New World Symphony was my favorite piece we ever played.

What was your biggest musical breakthrough?
Gaining the ability to play the famous trombone excerpt from the William Tell Overture.

What other sports/groups/activities are you involved in?
I’m on the golf team.

If you could perform with any musician, living or dead, who would it be & why?
I would perform with Trombone Shorty, he seems like a lot of fun.

What are your plans after graduation?
To attend the Crane School of Music and get a degree in Music Education.