A group of talented young musicians has taken their show on the road for the experience of playing in an orchestra.
Carmen, Andrew, Cherish, Madelyn and Nathan Stoney, along with Lara May, Holly and Linden McCallum are all members of the Youth Symphony of the Okanagan (YSO), which practises weekly in Kelowna. Robyn and Antony DeWet are also players in the YSO, but are currently out of the country.
In the Stoney family, Carmen plays the viola, learning it specifically to fill a need in the orchestra. Cherish is a violinist, Madelyn a cellist, while Andrew and Nathan play percussion. In the McCallum family, Lara May is a violinist, Holly a cellist and Linden plays percussion. The boys all play piano, but have transferred their skills to percussion, which was needed in the orchestra.
“The piano really helps with the orchestra, because some of the most difficult things are reading the music and knowing the proper timing,” says Linden. “You also have to be able to switch instruments, which is not something you do with most of the other instruments.”
The young Shuswap musicians are passionate about their craft and the ability to play in a group setting, despite the need to travel down the valley.
“It’s a lot different than any other type of music I’ve done.
Usually it is just you on your own, but to hear all the different instruments all together, it becomes like a team sport. You work together and you don’t want to let the other players down,” says violinist Cherish, 17.
The group of Shuswap musicians is mixed, some have played in the orchestra in previous years, for others, this is their first season. All, however, are pleased with the chance to play in such a professional setting and in larger venues, like Kelowna’s performing arts centre.
“Because of the repertoire, you have to push yourself out of your usual comfort zone, to take on music that you could never attempt as a soloist,” says cellist Madelyn, 13.
Under the direction of Dennis Colpitts and Rosemary Thomson, each member of the YSO learns pieces to be played by the orchestra, as well as receiving specialized teaching in their particular instrument. In order to participate, each musician must take part in an annual “meet the conductor” session, where the conductors listen to each musician and make determinations about their role in the YSO.
“It is run very much like a professional orchestra. Rosemary and Dennis do a wonderful job with challenging each musician to take their skills up a notch,” says Carmen, one of the most experienced members, who is also a registered music teacher.
One of the most popular aspects of the program for the Shuswap students is the side-by-side program, which pairs the young musicians with their counterpart player from the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. This includes practice sessions with the professional players, as well as the opportunity to perform certain selections at special Okanagan Symphony performances.
“To hear the professional players right next to you, they know the music so well and can show you things, different bow strokes or ways to extend yourself in your music that you never would have got if you learned the music yourself,” says Lara May.
This is the youth orchestra’s 25th anniversary and it will open the season with performances on Nov. 3 in Kelowna at 2 p.m. and in Vernon at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and youth and $5 for children 12 and under. More information is available at www.youthsymphonyokanagan.com.
