Just a reminder that the GBYSO will be performing with the CB Concert Choir this Friday, May 28^th at the Division Street Church at 7:30 pm.  Tickets for next Friday’s performance are $20.00 per adult. This event is part of our fundraising venture, and we hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend.

 Richard will likely be sending out a separate email regarding rehearsal times, etc. Briefly, there are rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday, again at Division Street and you’re asked to be there for 6:45 pm.  

  Sandy Stevenson will be at the rehearsals and will have tickets for sale.

Cheers!

Christl

It was reminiscent of Canadian winter Olympic drama when the GBSYO played at the Kiwanis festival tonight.  On one hand there were months of preparing the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth, on the other hand there were only a few hours practicing Richard’s arrangement of Barber’s Adagio for Strings.  To add to the drama there were all the warning signs of a mediocre performance -  plenty of nervous jitters in the practice session,  a couple of missing faces,  some tired yawns after a long week (and maybe too much Easter chocolate!), and the realization that there was only one shot to get it right – a single missed rest or wrong note at a key moment could make the difference between a gold and a silver.

    Then the moment came…Parents (and maybe Richard) crossed fingers and the Symphony started into Barber’s Adagio.  The jitters were nowhere to be seen as the music began its melancholy rise with a great certainty.  The drama continued to increase to its pitched crescendo, then the Symphony drew back and finished by playing the quiet ending with an equal degree of intensity.  No one in the audience was surprised when the adjudicator announced a gold!  This was an unexpected but welcome result for such a short practice time!

  Once the Adagio was done the real nervousness set in around the Beethoven.  Like the Canadian hockey squad, the expectations were high – just the sort of situation that can lead to disaster.  The parents were clearly on the edge of their seats worrying that after months of practice something might go wrong and the symphony would fail the ultimate test.  The proved completely unfounded as the 5th started with precision and power, then unrolled in what was the surely the best GBSYO performance in memory.  The well-earned applause and cheering after the final chord was loud and enthusiastic, only the fact that it was a adjudicated festival kept the audience from a standing ovation.  Some of the comments I heard in the post-performance buzz included: “That is the best I have ever heard the youth symphony play”…”I thought they nailed it at the Jensen concert, but they took it to a whole new level tonight”…”Is there a medal that is above a gold?”, and finally “I think this is the Youth Symphony’s crowning moment”.

It was a very exciting evening and one that will not soon be forgotten.  Congratulations to the GBSYO musicians!!  Thanks to Richard for his leadership, and thanks to Brian, Rob, Ani and everyone else who, like on so many evenings during the year, helped make this happen.  Bravo!!

Stay tuned, we will email and post the dates for the new term shortly.

Update points from Richard:

• Nov. 15: A reminder for everyone to tune in tomorrow night (9-11PM) to hear my radio show on www.977thebeach.ca It is a show about the bass-baritone voice and promoting the concert happening in Owen Sound tomorrow afternoon featuring Canadian baritone, Giles Tomkins and Owen Sound’s own, Kathryn Tremills (longtime Owen Sound piano teacher, Mary Lou Tremills’ daughter) The concert is at 3PM at the Alliance Church on 7th Ave. E. Tickets are $30 at the door. All proceeds go to fund scholarships and bursaries for the Georgian Bay Children’s Choir and the Owen Sound branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association. Do come and check it out! You may be wondering why my radio show would air AFTER the concert is over? and well you might wonder…Actually this programme was supposed to air last Sunday in anticipation of this weekend’s concert, however halfway through the broadcast the radio station had a terrible malfunction and the was off the air until the following morning! So we’re re-broadcasting it this week!

• Nov. 16: Just a reminder that the re-take photo shoot will be this Monday at rhsl for all players who missed the initial opportunity a couple of weeks back. In addition, Leslie Hallman would like to re-shoot the photos of seom students (see the email for names)

• Dec. 5 Concert: We have three more Monday rhsl’s before the Senior Orchestra has to play our first performance of the year at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Saturday Dec. 5th at 2:30PM. I think we are supposed to be there at 1PM. This is a concert for the Senior Orchestra only. This is a special collaboration with the Georgian Bay Children’s Choir – we are their featured guests! There will be an additional DRESS REHEARSAL on Friday Dec. 4th at 6PM at the St. Andrew’s church. If you are not able to be present for this additional rhsl, please let me know asap. If you are not able to perform in the Dec. 5th concert will you let me know immediately! Some of you that do have conflicts have told me already, but regardless would you send me a quick email to confirm this lack of availability. This should be an amazing concert! I’m really looking forward to it! We will be playing a piece of mine, which I will be handing out on Monday! An older piece which I have recently re-worked for this concert, entitled “Ave Maria”! Also, we will be playing our excerpts from Handel’s Messiah as well as several of our own pieces…probably the Beethoven, Prelude and Fugue in D minor of Handel and possibly the Brahms as well?

• Dec. 14^Th: We have ‘our own’ concert at Division Street United on Monday Dec. 14th for both the Junior and Senior groups! For the Dec. 14th concert, we’ll play the Beethoven, Brahms, Handel (P&F), Mozart, as well as the Raiders March and some arrangements of mine of local singer/songwriter, Lars Jensen. (I’m also going to hand these out on Monday..they’re easy, don’t worry!) We may possibly do a Christmas piece or two? We’ll see? Additionally the Juniors will play a selection of the pieces we have been playing this term…one of the Leroy Anderson’s, the Bach minuet, Pizzicato Polka? Do let me know/remind me if you have a conflict with this Dec. 14th concert! It will be at 7:30PM (We’ll probably get together for a brief ‘warm-up’ rhsl at 5:30/6:00 on the night) at Division Street United church in Owen Sound. We are trying out Owen Sound’s hippest new venue…the recently acoustically renovated performance space at Division Street. We will be selling tickets for this concert! Only $10! All families will receive two free tickets (for each parent) and all kids will be free, but beyond that we will be selling tickets to the public for the first time! More on this soon!
• For those of you who at one time or another studied with Stephanie Moore, do tune in as you will hear a recent piece of hers that has just been recorded by an ensemble based in Toronto on their latest CD…the Talisker Players Ensemble! Her piece is called “In Flanders Fields” and is obviously of a Remembrance Day theme. She wrote this piece when we first moved up to Leith from Toronto! It was premiered in Oct. of 2005 alongside an arrangement I had made of the John Adams masterpiece, “The Wound-Dresser”. This was immediately prior to me landing the Composer-in-Residence job with the GBS that kept us in Owen Sound!

1) We have Leslie Hallman (a GBSYO parent) coming tomorrow to take everyone’s individual photograph for a promotional display for the GBSYO we are preparing! Please do bring a clean black shirt (something approximating our concert attire) and you may want to be having a ‘good hair day’! She will be at the school as early as 4PM so do come early if you are able!

2) Any players who have yet to pay their registration fees for the term please do so asap! At this point payment arrangements should be made with GBS manager David Adair at the GBS office. 519 372-0212 gbs@bmts.com

3) The GBS has a fundraising initiative on at the moment! We are selling a $25 book of coupons for local businesses etc. A great value and an easy way to support the GBS (and the GBSYO) Please do find out how you can get involved. We are hoping that each of you will be able to sell several books!

 4) Also there are some great concerts coming up! First of all this Friday night the GBS has its first concert of the season…Fright Night! A Halloween themed concert! Not to be missed! Also, next weekend we have a fantastic piano recital in town! Jon Kimura Parker is playing at the Division Street United Church’s new and improved concert facility on Friday Nov. 6th at 8PM Tickets are only $25! Which is an incredible bargain considering this pianists international reputation etc. All pianists and anyone who is serious about music should attend! Furthermore, this is a concert in support of the Georgian Bay Symphony!

See you all tomorrow (Monday)! Richard