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Gen Xer heads up 30- year-old Empire State Youth Orchestra
Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. (ESYO) Announces New Board President and Board Members
Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. (ESYO) announced that Sarah Delaney Vero, Esq. is the new President of its Board of Directors. Ms. Vero is an attorney in the Albany office of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. She succeeds Meris Ruzow, who has served as president for the past seven years.
Ms. Vero was a member of Empire State Youth Orchestra from 1993 - 1998, starting in the String Ensemble. She progressed to ESYO's most advanced orchestra, the Youth Orchestra, where she played cello. "I can relate to the young musicians in ESYO today," Ms. Vero commented, "Going from high school - where I was a big fish in a little musical pond - to ESYO where I was a little fish in a very big pond was humbling and challenging and a terrific learning experience. What a sense of accomplishment my fellow musicians and I shared as we progressed in our abilities and performed at such amazing venues as the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and Tanglewood."
A 2002 magna cum laude graduate of Union College, Ms. Vero attended Albany Law School of Union University, receiving the B.A./J.D. degree, magna cum laude, in 2004. As an attorney with BS&K in Albany, Ms. Vero represents employers in all areas of private and public sector labor and employment law. She serves on the boards of Trinity Institution-Homer Perkins Center and the Arbor Hill Community Center, Inc. and is an active member of the Capital District Women's Bar Association, which recognized her as the Outstanding New Lawyer in 2008.
Ms. Vero has been a member of ESYO's Board of Directors since 2006, chairing the Governance Committee and Space (facilities) Committee and serving on the Strategic Planning Committee. "What makes my volunteer work at ESYO particularly gratifying is that I am not simply giving back to 'the community' but to the very community that helped me grow as a musician, student, and young adult. In a way, ESYO and I are at the same point in our lifecycles, and I find it incredibly humbling to be offered this opportunity to help shape the organization's next stage of development."
Ms. Vero succeeds Meris Ruzow who has served on ESYO's board for 14 years - the past 7 as President. Ms. Ruzow's introduction to ESYO was two-fold: as a music teacher and as a parent of two trumpet players who were members of ESYO. She helped bring the dreams of ESYO's leadership to fruition as she oversaw dramatic growth in ESYO during her term: increased membership; the addition of new performing ensembles; the expansion of the training program for low-income students to include Schenectady and Troy in addition to Albany; and increased support from the community. As she steps down from the presidency, she knows "that the completion of our strategic plan and development of new dreams will succeed under the guidance of our new president, Sarah Vero." Ms. Ruzow will continue as an active member of ESYOs board.
Three new faces on ESYO's board
Kitty Fitzgerald, Susan M. Landauer, and Laurey Goldberg have recently joined ESYO's Board of Directors. Ms. Fitzgerald is a flute teacher with a private studio in her home in Loudonville where she resides with her husband and two daughters (who are both members of ESYO ensembles). Ms. Landauer is a CPA and partner in Forensic Accounting Services Group, LLP, an affiliate of Wojeski and Company, CPAs, located in East Greenbush, NY. She plays flute and previously conducted the Capital Region Youth Flute Choir, working with Ms. Fitzgerald in running that ensemble. Ms. Goldberg is an Associate Director of Gift Planning at Union College and has been involved with ESYO as a volunteer for many years when her son was a member, and more recently as chair of the Gala Committee for the 2008 gala.
Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. recently received two prestigious awards for its programming from ASCAP and the League of American Orchestras. Founded in 1979 as a single youth orchestra, today's ESYO is an umbrella organization consisting of two full orchestras, a wind orchestra, string ensemble, two jazz ensembles, three percussion ensembles, and an instrument training program for inner-city students in middle schools in Schenectady, Albany, and Troy. ESYO ensembles present over 30 public concerts each season including free school concerts, a free concert in Proctors Theatre for seniors, and the CBS 6s annual Melodies of Christmas benefit concerts. Over 300 middle- and high-school age musicians from over 75 schools in eastern New York and western Massachusetts participate in the various groups. Each year these young performers fulfill ESYO's long-standing commitment to bring great music to a wide array of audiences in the Capital Region. For a complete schedule of the 2008-2009 season, visit www.esyo.org.
(released 3-3-03) ###
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ESYO receives Two ASCAP/League of American Orchestra Awards for 2008
DATE: June 23, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Empire State Youth Orchestra Receives Two ASCAP Awards at League of American Orchestras' Annual Conference in Denver
Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. (ESYO) announced today that it received two awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the League of American Orchestras at the League's annual conference in Denver, Colorado, on June 13, 2008. ESYO's awards were among 26 presented to orchestras who demonstrated exceptional commitment to contemporary music during the 2007-2008 season.
ESYO received the rarely presented ASCAP Award for American Programming on Foreign Tours for the program performed by its Youth Orchestra while on tour in Europe this past April. According to the League of American Orchestras, ESYO distinguished itself in this category by featuring a program full of American music, including a commissioned work by Dr. Samuel Adler, an American composer and professor of composition at Juilliard, and by bringing Dr. Adler on the tour to introduce his piece to audiences in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Dr. Adler's composition, A Bridge to Understanding, had been premiered by ESYO at its New Music for a New Generation Festival in March 2008. Helen Cha-Pyo, ESYO's Music Director and Conductor of the Youth Orchestra, noted that "There is a perception that European audiences may not enjoy a program of American music, but the reception we received was overwhelmingly positive. Our young musicians crossed 'a bridge to understanding' by sharing American music and 'their' composer, and seeing how all music transcends cultural barriers."
ASCAP and the League also presented the ASCAP Youth Orchestra Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music (first place) to ESYO. Commenting on the Adventurous Programming Awards, Frances Richard, ASCAP Vice President & Director of Concert Music, said "2008 marks the 51st year that ASCAP has saluted those orchestras and music directors whose past season prominently featured music written within the past twenty-five years. Through their adventurous programming, these are the orchestras that enrich the repertory and keep our great concert music tradition relevant, vibrant and alive." ESYO's nine ensembles have consistently included contemporary music in their programs. This commitment to presenting new music was concentrated this past season during ESYO's New Music Festival. During the festival concert, each ESYO ensemble premiered a commissioned piece by an American composer. The festival was funded in part by a $100,000 grant from the New York State Music Fund.
Started in 1979 as a single orchestra, today's Empire State Youth Orchestra, Inc. is an umbrella organization that includes two full orchestras, a wind orchestra, a string ensemble, two jazz ensembles, three percussion ensembles, and an instrument instruction program for inner-city, middle-school children. Over 300 school-age musicians from more than 75 schools in eastern New York, southern Vermont, and western Massachusetts participate in the various groups. Each year these young performers fulfill ESYO's long-standing commitment to bring great music to a wide array of audiences in the greater Capital Region. The 2008-2009 season will be ESYO's 30th year providing music education and performance opportunities to highly talented young musicians. For more information, please visit www.esyo.org. ###
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Season Finale at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood
On Sunday, June 1, 2008, 4:30 p.m., the Empire State Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Helen Cha-Pyo, will present its season finale in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts.
The Youth Orchestra will perform music by Welcher, Tower, and Barber, and will finish the concert with DvoYáks Symphony No. 8 in G major. The orchestra recently performed this symphony at four concerts in Europe during ESYOs spring tour, including a performance at DvoYák Hall in the Rudolfinum in Prague.
Sundays concert will open with three selections by Frescobaldi, Grieg, and Stravinsky performed by the Empire State Repertory Orchestra, conducted by David Beck.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and are available only through ESYO; please call (518) 382-7581. Tickets will also be sold by ESYO staff at the entrance to Ozawa Hall an hour before the performance.
This concert marks the end of ESYOs 29th season. Started in 1979 as a single orchestra, todays Empire State Youth Orchestra is an umbrella organization that includes two full orchestras, a wind orchestra, a string ensemble, two jazz ensembles, three percussion ensembles, and a city strings training program in Schenectady and Albany middle schools. Over 300 musicians from more than 75 schools, elementary through high school in eastern New York, southern Vermont, and western Massachusetts participate in the various groups. Each year these young performers fulfill ESYOs long-standing commitment to bring great music to a wide array of audiences in the Capital Region. For more information, please visit the concert information page of our website, www.esyo.org.
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Celebrate Spring with ESYO's Music in May! (2008)
Music In May!
Please join us as we celebrate spring with a series of concerts:
**Sunday May 11, the Repertory and Junior Percussion Ensembles will perform at RPI;
**Friday, May 16, ESYO's two Jazz Ensembles will play at the College of Saint Rose;
**Saturday, May 17, ESYO's Repertory and Wind Orchestras will present a concert at the Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville;
**Sunday, May 18, come hear the String Ensemble with special guest City Strings play at Doane Stuart School;
**then finish Music in May with the combined Percussion concert/Bookfair at Barnes & Noble, Colonie Center on Monday evening, May 19.
Please visit the Concert section of our website to see a list of concerts for each ensemble.
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Percussion Concert & Bookfair Fundraiser - May 19, 2008
The Youth Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Richard Albagli and Mark Foster will present a concert at the Barnes & Noble book store at Colonie Center on Monday, May 19, 2008, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Barnes & Noble will support ESYO by holding a bookfair during the concert. For each purchase that is identified as being in support of ESYO, Barnes & Noble will donate a percentage of the sale to ESYO. Plan to buy Father's Day and graduation gifts during the concert/bookfair and support ESYO when you do.
The Percussion Concert/Bookfair is part of ESYO's Music in May week.
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ESYO Receives Grants for City Instrument Training Programs
The Schenectady Foundation has awarded a $30,000 challenge grant to support ESYO's City Strings Training Program in Schenectady. City Strings is an instrumental instruction/performance program for inner-city middle-school students in Schenectady and Albany. School music teachers recommend participants based on their motivation, skill potential, and financial need. Students in the program are given private lessons during the school day by the ESYO teacher who goes to the school. Many City Strings students have advanced enough to successfully audition for ESYO's String Ensemble; three have progressed all the way to the Youth Orchestra.
A Schenectady County Initiative Program grant has enabled us to augment the performance component of the City Strings program with recitals at nursing homes and senior centers. The first recital was given at the Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Scotia. The Schenectady Foundation also likes this new recital component because it extends the program's benefits to a larger community than just the students, their families, and schools. Now ESYO's "challenge" is to find new sources of money to match the Foundation's grant that will be paid over the next three years.
ESYO is receiving invaluable help toward meeting the Schenectady Foundation's challenge from a consortium of advisors that was established this past fall with the help of volunteer and long-time ESYO friend/supporter Joan Gould. This group of educators, musicians, and philanthropists will help ESYO shape the programmatic and financial future of City Strings.
ESYO also received a $5,000 grant from the Howard & Bush Foundation to help establish City Brass for students at Troy's Doyle Middle School, which does not have a string program. City Brass will be modeled on the City Strings program, including a recital component for Troy area nursing homes.
(First published in ENCORE, ESYO's newsletter, winter 2007-2008.)
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Happy New Year and Oh! what a year! Exchanges and Festivals and Tours...OH MY!
We entered this amazing season knowing it was going to be a busy one...and it's been a wild ride that started last June with a record-breaking 435 musicians trying out for approximately 300 positions. We jumped into the season with orientation meetings for parents, Frost Valley rehearsal weekend for two orchestras, a new conductor for the String Ensemble, and planning for some special events.
A year ago, our Repertory Orchestra traveled to Vermont for an exchange program with Vermont Youth Philharmonia. Now Vermont comes to New York for a joint concert with Rep on January 26 at Bethlehem High School. As part of the exchange, ESYO families will host the Vermont musicians. According to conductor David Beck, the exchange provides "a way for students to perform with peers, grow musically, and spend time with other musicians - outside their usual circle - who share their focus and intensity." And wait till you see a combined orchestra of 200 on one stage!
March brings our New Music for a New Generation Festival. ESYO commissioned a composer for each orchestra and ensemble; their pieces will be premiered during the festival's evening concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Having all nine performing groups present a concert together is a first for ESYO. The composers have attended rehearsals to give our members an opportunity to participate in bringing a new piece to performance readiness.
Supported in part with a grant from the New York State Music Fund and a Community Art$Grant from the Arts Center of the Capital Region/NYSCA, the fesitval begins at the Music Hall with "The Listener," a family concert featuring the Magic Circle Mime Company and the Youth Orchestra. The mimes will entertain the orchestra and audience alike with whimsical antics designed to excite concert goers about classical music.
Afternoon workshops led by the composers will precede the evening concert. Tickets will be sold to the general public and ESYO musicians will attend for free.
A Bridge to Understanding, the title of Samuel Adler's piece for the Youth Orchesta, is the theme of the orchestra's April 2008 European Tour on which Mr. Adler will be an honored guest. Incorporating both Czech and American folk music, the piece musically connects Europe and North America.
During the tour, the orchestra will perform in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. "I want our young musicians to have an enriching experience - indivudally and collectively," said Helen Cha-Pyo, ESYO Music Director. "The excitement of travel combined with their passion for music will open their eyes to a culture that is familiar to them - from the music - but very new to them in terms of the people and places they will visit. As music ambassadors sharing their talents, including a joint concert with a German youth orchestra, they will see how music is 'a bridge to understanding.' These players should come home having given a lot, but also having received a lot back from their experiences visiting historic places and interacting with people from different nations."
At $3,500 per musican, this trip is much more expensive than the typical teen's "backpack" tour of Europe, yet no child will be excluded from the trip for financial reasons. ESYO board, staff, and parents have been busy raising funds. Thousands of dollars have also been contributed by generous sponsors including UBS, Time Warner Cable, and Times Union, among many others.
At this half-way point in our season of over 30+ performances, we encourage you to check the concert schedule on our website.
(First published in ENCORE, ESYO's newsletter, winter 2007-2008.)
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Careers in Music Scholarships - 2007
Congratulations to the 2007 recipients of the Barry L. Richman Careers in Music Scholarship: Alex Atchley and Jonathan Houghtling. The scholarship is granted to a graduating senior(s) pursuing a career in music and exemplifying the values for which ESYO stands. With so many exceptional applicants, the scholarship committee decided to award two scholarships. Alex graduated from Scotia Glenville Senior High School and is now a freshman at Mason Gross School for the Arts at Rutgers University, majoring in percussion performance. A 2007 graduate of Queensbury High School, Jonathan has started his first year as a trombone performance major at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
(First published in ENCORE, ESYO's newsletter, winter 2007-2008.)
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FUNdraising!
Barnes & Noble Bookfair Redux!
Last year's bookfair at Barnes & Noble was so successful we decided to do it again. Kitty Fitzgerald and Paige Hartl chaired this event, which earned ESYO $3,000 - twice as much as last year. Proceeds from the bookfair are used to support all of ESYO's orchestras and ensembles.
We also helped Barnes & Noble by providing live music for the store's grand opening in Colonie Center Mall in November. ESYO's Jazz Ensemble and members of the Percussion Ensembles entertained "guests" for over an hour and, according to the store manager, were the reason many folks came to the party!
Tour Fundraising: Board
Board members hosted a champagne brunch in November to help raise money to offset the travel costs of the European Tour. With over 20 corporate sponsors and more than 50 honorary committeem members, the benefit at Franklin Plaza in Troy raised enough money to credit each tour participant's account with $360.
Tour Fundraising: Members and Parents
Led by Tracy Swift, Concetta DiRusso, Paul Black, Wendy Conti, and Judy Wilson, orchestra members and tour parents have rasied funds, too. They earned $5,000 for tour accounts by selling Yankee Candles in the fall, and they held a dance and silent auction in January.
(Adapted from article first published in ENCORE, ESYO's newsletter, winter 2007-2008.)
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Lois Lyman Concerto - 2007/08 Competition
Because of a very full program scheduled for the New Music for a New Generation Festival in March, this season's Lois Lyman Concerto Competition was held in September. The winner, Anthony Bellino, performed Bloch's Proclamation for Trumpet and Orchestra with the Youth Orchestra at its November concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Second-place winner, pianist Ryan Reilly, played the third movement from Beethoven's Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major with the Repertory Orcherstra at its concert the following weekend. Anthony and Ryan are both in tenth grade and have been studying their respective instruments since they were four years old.
(First published in ENCORE, ESYO's newsletter, winter 2007-2008.)
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And the Winner Is...ESYO!
We are not shy about tooting our own horn - the 300+ young musicians of ESYO give us much to toot about - but it's even better when other do it for us! ESYO was given superlatives in two recent reader opinion polls:
Capital Region Living Magazine: Best Orchestra - 1st Place
Times Union: Best Classical Musiciand or Group - 3rd Place
Congratulations to our wonderful musicians, conductors, managers, and coaches - you are the BEST!
(First published in ESYO's newsletter, Encore, Winter 2007-2008)
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