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March 2006
Update
March 13, 2006 11:11I'm sorry I've told y'all that I was gonna be writing to you more often, however time has just gotten the best of me. So, let me briefly get you up to date:
I already had my Minnesota Youth Symphonies (MYS) performance in mid February. It was a very remarkable concert. MY orchestra, Philharmonic played the music from the film "Our Town" by Aaron Copland, where I was selected to do a narration piece from the novel. It was quite an experience, one that I'll not forget for a while. We ended our portion with "Pomp and Circumstance" March No. 1 by Elgar. It was so good that Jim, our conductor, proceeded to do an encore from "R" (if you've played it before, you know it's the main theme at the end). Intermission came, then the next orchestra,Repertory, played "Ma Vlast" by Smetana, they sounded so gorgeous. The second and last piece of their program was an original composition by our woodwind coach and composer Shelley Hanson "Groove". This piece has never been performed by a youth orchestra before, but they pulled it off very well. The rythum is very very difficult. The piece is a tribute to New York City, with the music starting with Irish melody, followed by a Klemzer melody, and ending with some Latin music that you'd hear out of windows of apartments in Harlem. Our artistic director and conductor, Manny Laureano was actually "conducting" and dancing backstage.
Symphony orchestra was a whole other ball park. They started off by performing an original composition by Russell Holsapple (for more info, go to http://www.russellholsapple.com ) "The Rapturous Rhapsody". It then moved on to the beautiful Lizzie Whipple, the Symphony Solo Competition winner playing the Mendelsohn Violin Concerto in E Minor. She played with such an elagence and grace, and yet a commanding presence. It was HER piece. After all the oooh and aaah, as if that wasn't enough music, they concluded with the final movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 1. Their delivery was just mind-boggling. Sometimes I really have to remind myself that these are teenagers my age playing Minnesota Orchestra level music. Of course, as usual, they have a grand standing ovation (as they deserve), and everyone has left in satisfaction.
Now, about a month later, I am currently getting ready for another concert. I have been invited, along with other high school students in the Minneapolis district, to perform for the "Viva City" concert. I'm gonna play first violin. The orchestra's playing Rossini's "Sinfonia" and Beethoven's 7th Symphony. I'm happy to say that Manny Laureano of the MN Orchestra and MYS be will be conducting the orchestra. There would've been a rehearsal today, but God just felt the need to make up for basically a whole winter's worth of snow on the morning commute. It's an absolute mess. I can't believe I actually attempted to go to school today, but I just basically said to heck with it, and so, here I am writing to you all.
later!
Danny
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