GDYO plays side-by-side concert with Dallas Wind Symphony
Tuesday, January 22, 8:00p.m.
GDYO’s Wind Symphony will share the stage with the Dallas Wind Symphony on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in a side by side concert. The concert, which begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Meyerson Symphony Center, offers high school students from throughout the Dallas area the opportunity to rehearse and perform challenging repertoire alongside professional musicians.
“Education is a huge part of what we do here at the Dallas Wind Symphony,” said founder and executive director Kim Campbell. “Our musicians are also band leaders, private teachers, and clinicians who work with many of these students through their school bands, as well as the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.”
“The kids love the opportunity to perform alongside these musicians, whom they all look up to,” said Chuck Moore, executive director of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. “The word ‘awesome’ comes up a lot. I overheard one say, ‘Who would ever have thought I would get to play Maslanka with these guys?’ It means a lot to them. It’s something they all want to do.”
The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra kicks off the concert with three selections under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Williams, Assistant Director of Wind Studies and Director of the Green Brigade Marching Band at the University of North Texas. Following the GDYO performance, the Dallas Wind Symphony will take the stage under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Jerry Junkin. The concert will culminate with the combined GDYO/DWS ensemble performing the finale of David Maslanka’s Symphony No. 2, with Junkin again conducting.
“This concert gives young musicians an opportunity to rehearse and perform with some of the top professionals in the area,” Campbell said. “It really raises the bar for everyone. The students want to play well for their teachers and mentors, and the pros are extra careful not to mess up in front of their students. Everyone has a great time, but the real winners are the people in the audience, who get to hear a great concert, and see the future of band music up there on the stage.”
For tickets or more information, visit the Dallas Wind Symphony website
GDYO Holiday Magic
Wednesday, December 12, 7:30pm
The annual “Holiday Magic” on December 12, 2012, 7:30 pm features over 200 youth on the stage of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Along with the Youth Chorus of Greater Dallas, the GDYO will perform works for Chorus along with Prokofiev’s Troyka from Lieutenant Kijé and selections from Tchaikovsky’s Winter Symphony and more!
Tickets are available at the door.
The Importance of Music Education
We don’t have to tell you how important music education is to your child’s overall education and future. You know firsthand that your child’s participation in music and in the youth orchestra increases their time management, leadership, teamwork, learning, creative, social and motivational skills. Below is the beginning of a wonderful article, written by Henry Fogel—perhaps the most well-known executive director to orchestras and orchestral musicians around the world—written on the subject of music education. We think you will appreciate what he has to say.
From: On the Record…with Henry Fogel
Taken from www.artsjournal.com
When speaking about the subject of music education in America - one immediately faces a conundrum. Do I talk about the quantifiable, pragmatic advantages that are known to accrue to those youngsters who study music? Test scores in all areas, improved problem solving, high percentage going on to college and doing well - all kinds of real, measurable, and practical positive effects of music study. While different people will have differing views of how meaningful and dramatic these effects are, I think that few reasonable people deny their existence totally. And, in truth, those might well be strong justifications for stronger music programs in the schools - and just the kind of justifications that the political and community leaders who make decisions on school expenditures and education budgets might respond to.
Or, do I speak about the fact that the arts in general, and music in particular, represent perhaps the unique achievement of human civilization - and that you cannot prepare young people to be a part of a civilized society without teaching them to understand and fully experience its greatest achievements? Do I speak about the inalienable right of every child to be touched by an art form that goes beyond the specificities of words and reaches into the depth of the human soul in a way that nothing else does?
The truth is that one doesn't have to choose - one can speak about both of those aspects of the importance of music education, and particularly to an audience that believes in it the way you do.
Nathan Olson, Meet the Soloist
On Sunday, October 28th, the GDYO will present the GDYO Season Opener. This concert will feature Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D-major, Op. 43, and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in g-minor, Op. 63 with special guest soloist Nathan Olson. The GDYO is honored to work with Mr. Olson, and we hope you will join us at the performance.
A native of Berkeley, California, violinist Nathan Olson is Co-Concertmaster with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, a position he assumed in 2011. Nathan has appeared in recent seasons as Guest Concertmaster with the Symphony Orchestras of Toronto, Omaha, and Tucson, and as Principal Second Violin with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Prior to his appointment in Dallas, Nathan was Concertmaster with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and CityMusic Cleveland. Currently Concertmaster of the Breckenridge Music Festival, he has participated in the Mainly Mozart Festival, the Bravo Vail Music Festival, and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.
Nathan is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s prestigious Concertmaster Academy, where he studied with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil. Nathan also received his Master of Music and Bachelor of Music (with Academic Honors) degrees from CIM, studying with Paul Kantor and William Preucil. A winner of the Joseph and Elsie Scharff prize in violin at CIM, he has performed as soloist with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Berkeley Symphony, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, and the Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra.
A dedicated chamber musician, Nathan has collaborated with Robert McDuffie, Roberto Diaz, Andrés Diaz, Hsin-Yun Huang, Elaine Douvas, Gary Graffman, Peter Salaff, Sharon Isbin, David Tanenbaum, and the Cavani String Quartet. As a member of the Baumer String Quartet, he is on faculty with the Monterey Chamber Music Workshop and the Crowden Chamber Music Workshop. He has served on faculty at the Innsbrook Music Festival and won the silver medal at the 2005 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. While completing his B.M. at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Nathan earned minors in both Mathematics and Music Theory.
Tickets are on sale now for Mr. Olson’s performance with the GDYO on October 28th. Buy yours today!
