NHS Students Win Places In Regional Youth Orchestras

By Martha Coville

Ten members of the Newtown High School Honors Symphony Orchestra auditioned and won places in two prestigious regional youth orchestras. Sisters and viola players Emily Loose, a twelfth grader, and Meghan Loose, a ninth grader, both earned chairs in the Norwalk Youth Symphony, as did Lindsey Jones, a twelfth grade violinist, and Sarah Grose, an eleventh grader who plays the clarinet.

Six NHS students also earned seats in the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra (GBYO). Viola players Jane Ellen Anderson, in the ninth grade, and Alyssa Rodriguez, in the tenth grade, join Rachel Fintz, a ninth grader who plays the bass viola. One cellist, ninth grader Kyra Smith, will also be performing with the orchestra. Violinists Calvin Song, a tenth grader, and Irene Koh, in the twelfth grade, round out the group.

The Norwalk Youth Symphony comprises 300 members from 30 towns in Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield and Westchester, N.Y., Counties. The GBYO awards 250 places to students from Fairfield and New Haven Counties.

Both groups are structured to provide experience to musicians of different ages and abilities. They each comprise four different performing ensembles. Therefore, auditions into the entry level orchestras are not nearly as competitive as those for the most advanced level, call the Principle Orchestras. NHS students belong to the three upper levels of the GBYO, and to the principle orchestra and concert levels of the Norwalk Youth Symphony.

Musicians from the GBYO are often selected for participation in the All-State and All-New England Music Festivals. On May 30, the principle orchestra from the Norwalk Youth Symphony will be performing at Carnegie Hall. Together with the concert orchestra, they will also be traveling to Europe to perform in Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, and Budapest, all cities with rich musical histories.

Meghan Loose said that the Norwalk Youth Orchestra demands a considerable commitment. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday mornings, she and her sister Emily drive down to Norwalk in time for a three-hour rehearsal, beginning at 9 am. The GYBO rehearses on a similar schedule. And since the students selected to participate in the regional youth programs also belong to the Honors Symphony at NHS, they practice two different repertoires. Most also take private lessons. Practice is squeezed in after school, homework, and other extracurricular activities. Jane Ellen Anderson said she practices for an hour “at the most” everyday. Other students admitted they pick up their instruments “just when we can.”

Lindsey Jones considers it time well spent. “It’s a great experience to play with a real orchestra,” she said. “It’s almost a hidden gym. The musicians that are there are there for a reason. They’re really committed.” Emily Loose said she enjoyed “getting to know a lot of other people” with similar interests.

The Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra performs at The Klein Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport. Its next performance will be Sunday, February 10, at 3 pm. Call Barb Upton at 203-459-4249 for ticket information.

The Norwalk Youth Symphony will also be performing at 3 pm on February 10, at the Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Avenue in Norwalk. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $8 dollars for students and seniors.

Lastly, The Norwalk Youth Symphony members will be selling raffle tickets to fund their trip to Europe. A $25 ticket will qualify the holder to win a three-day trip to Paris for two, including air fare and hotel. The drawing will be in February. E-mail Ronnie Boriskin at rboriskin@norwalkyouthsymphony.org to purchase tickets.