Minnesota Youth Symphonies

Minnesota Youth Symphonies, commonly referred to as MYS, was founded in 1972. The program has four orchestras composed entirely of elementary through high school aged musicians. Participation is based on an audition in which the prospective student must perform an appropriate solo, orchestral excerpt, major and minor scales, and sightread. Unlike many other programs, MYS places each student into an orchestra based entirely on his or her skill level - rather than age. The String Orchestra, composed only of stringed instruments, is conducted by Pat Kelly, and is geared for string students at the intermediate level. The Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by MN Orchestra Education Dtr. Jim Bartsch, is a full orchestra for music students at the advanced-intermediate level. The Repertory Orchestra, conducted by MYS Co-Artistic Director Claudette Laureano, is the second full orchestra in the program, and is geared for advanced students. The fourth and highest-level orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra, is conducted by MYS Co-Artistic Director Manny Laureano, and is a collegiate-level full orchestra.

The Philharmonic Orchestra performs a mixture of edited and unedited works that are geared forwards more advanced musicianship. The Repertory and Symphony orchestras perform unedited music that is of advanced, professional standards. In the 2006-2007 season, the MYS Symphony performed Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, which is considered the most difficult work of the classical genre. This was the first time this piece has ever been performed by a high school ensemble in the state of Minnesota.

Student musicians throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin audition annually for a position in one of the four orchestras, which meet most Saturday mornings for two to three-hour rehearsals from mid-September to early-May. The orchestras perform three times annually at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to a total annual audience of more than 5,000 patrons. MYS also hosts an annual summer program in July, comprised of a composition class, an advanced beginner string orchestra group with Pat Kelly, a singing class, and a conductor's workshop with principle trumpet and conductor Manny Laureano.

The 2007-08 Concert Season marks the 35th Anniversary of MYS and the 20th Anniversary of Co-Artistic Directors Claudette and Manny Laureano. In honor of these events, each of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies’ four orchestras is premiering original works by Minnesota composers. Full orchestral pieces have been commissioned from composers Stephen Paulus, Shelley Hanson and MYS alumnus Edward (Teddy) Niedermaier. A fourth work for string orchestra by seventeen-year-old Aaron Hirsch of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, was selected from a composition contest for MYS students and alumni under the age of 21.

A tradition of the Symphony Orchestra's annual season is the Symphony Solo Competition, in which members of the Symphony Orchestra may participate in a concerto competition. Consisting of a preliminary and final round, students are given the opportunity to compete for a coveted prize of being able to perform their solo with the Symphony Orchestra in a concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis during the academic year. Typically, only one soloist is chosen, but there have been six instances in the history of the solo competition in which two or three winners were chosen. The 2006-2007 season competition was marked as the first time an ensemble won the competition; Eleanor Bartsch and Daniel Kim, a violin and viola duet playing the Sinfonia Concertante by Mozart co-won the competition along with another violinist, Sophia Kim, playing the Tchaikovsky concerto.

MYS has been under the artistic direction of Manny Laureano, Principal Trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra, and his wife, Claudette Laureano, Director of the Breck School's String Program, since 1988.

History

In 1972 the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Society ended its sponsorship of the St. Paul Youth Orchestra. Many of the youth orchestra musicians and their parents were determined to continue the program. They persuaded its music director, Ralph Winkler, to establish a new youth orchestra, the Minnesota Youth Symphony. MYS was established as a place for serious young musicians to learn and be challenged.

The students’ hard work earned them an invitation in 1973 to perform in Romania, making MYS the first American youth orchestra to tour in a communist country. In 1994, the MYS Symphony Orchestra became the first orchestra to ever perform in the Super Bowl’s half-time show when Super Bowl XXVI was played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. MYS worked with one of the most distinguished film composers of the 20th century when Elmer Bernstein guest-conducted “The Magnificent Seven” with the MYS Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997. MYS has collaborated with many noted guest artists, conductors and performing groups including Osmo Vanska, Butch Thompson, Jorja Fleezanis, Bel Canto Chorus, St. Paul City Ballet, Minnesota Boys Choir, Ignacio "Nachito" Herrera, and the T.C. Swing Dancers.

In 1988, Claudette and Manny Laureano became the nation’s only husband-and-wife conducting team for a youth orchestra program. Together, they’ve grown MYS from one orchestra of 58 students to four orchestras, a summer program and community outreach programs serving over 600 students and performing for over 5,000 patrons annually.

MYS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SAMPLE REPERTOIRE: Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Respighi’s Pines of Rome; Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major; Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra; Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis; Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique; Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture; Rossini's Overture to La Gazza Ladra; Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2; Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade; Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

MYS REPERTORY ORCHESTRA SAMPLE REPERTOIRE: Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain; Copland’s Outdoor Overture & Rodeo; Bizet’s selections from Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2; Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture; Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan, “Duel of the Fates” from The Phantom Menace, "Imperial March" from Star Wars; Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Swan Lake & Marche Slave; Rossini’s Overture to William Tell, Overture to La Gazza Ladra; Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony); Saint-Seans' Danse Macabre; Hanson's Groove

MYS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA SAMPLE REPERTOIRE: Walton’s Crown Imperial March; Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld; Stravinsky/Isaac’s Dance Infernale and Berceuse & Finale; Badelt/Rickett’s Pirates of the Caribbean; Sibelius’ Finlandia; Verdi’s “Anvil Chorus” from Il Travatore; von Suppe’s Light Cavalry Overture; Gliere’s Russian Sailor’s Dance; Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance Nos. 1 & 4; Copland's Saturday Night Waltz, Our Town; Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain; Verdi's "Hymn & Triumphal March" from Aida; Berlioz's "Rackozy March" from La Damnation De Faust

MYS STRINGS SAMPLE REPERTOIRE: Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major; Handel/Green’s Little Fugue; Del Borgo’s Russian Folk Dance; Britten’s Simple Symphony; Grieg’s Two Elegiac Melodies; Biber’s Battalia; Bach’s Cantana: “Wachet auf”; Albinoni/Giazotto's Adagio for Strings & Organ in G minor

External links

• Minnesota Youth Symphonies

http://photo.twincities.com/index.php/2007/11/08/minnesota-youth-symphonies-audio/