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PYSO is in it's 40th season. We started in 1972
with just a small group of kids that got together play orchestral
arrangements. Now we have three ensembles: our newest group is the Wind Ensemble
and there are 30 to 50 kids who play arrangements for wind band. We have our String
orchestra, and they're a little larger - 50 to 60, and they play arrangements for strings. And we have our
Symphony group which is the full symphonic
ensemble with winds, brass, percussion and strings. They're our flagship group. They've actually toured
extensively. They've played in the US Air Force Aacademy in Colorado Springs, New York's Carnegie Hall
They've been overseas to Europe several times; they're going back next summer to Vienna, salzburg
they've played in the Mozarteum, they're going back to Prague. They have
actually even appeared on TV: Fox's Glee,
as doing sidelining work with professional actors and that's been a great experience for them as well.
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra is part of the Pasadena Symphony Association
which means that they get to interact with professional musicians and professional conductors and
have a lot of really unique experiences for a youth orchestra.
I have to tell you, as a conductor
there's some fantastic moments that you experienced in front of these students
One specific didn't even have to do with a performance. A student who was a
phenomenal flute player from the beginning, he walked in really thinking,
"I am a great player; I'm above this," and as he went through the process
throughout the educational experience we provide,
about two years he was in the orchestra, at the end of that experience
he wrote a hand letter to me
explaining how when he came into the orchestra he thought he was a good player
but he realized he wasn't a good ensemble player
and throughout the whole experience he learned how to play in a symphony and it
was this great experience that he had
had gotten from PYSO, so and that was one of those, "Wow!" moments for me
because I was able to see that we're really reaching students in a way that's
just phenomenal.
The other piece of this is training a student to look ahead. We've had our
students become professional solo violinists as we saw last year
with Jennifer Frautschi. We've seen our students go to the LA Philharmonic
We've seen our students
travel to the ends of the Earth! Sometimes it is a method of
beginning for the students to begin a life as an artist,
and sometimes it's a
way for students to realize
how much they love music.
I started when I was eight years old and in 6th grade I joined PYSO
in "Prelude Strings," and the three years following that
I was in PYSO. And the last year I was principal. There were two skills that I
learned in my PYSO years.
One was playing under pressure. My teacher, Ryan Sweeney, he
taught us how to play under pressure.
He had us play solos and single us and singled us out in front of sections.
And the second is leadership. I had to lead the cello section and they had to follow me.
These two skills will help me in my life.
I am the future.
We are the future!