As they made their way onto the
stage. the group of young people, whose ages range from 10 to 18, looked
fresh and clean scrubbed, with bright eyes and mischievous smiles.
It's common knowledge that most youth orchestras often attempt to play
music that is either way beyond their skill level, or simplified
arrangements of well known classics that they still manage to mangle and
have problems with, either in intonation or timing. But that's OK, because
they are young and still learning. We were ready for that.
Somebody did not send the GYO
kids the memo about how mediocre youth orchestras are supposed to perform.
And conductor Brad Keimach must have been absent form his Juilliard
conducting class the day they discussed how youth orchestras could not
possibly achieve any level of excellence when playing the "heavy"
composers like Mozart or Beethoven.
How could it be that their Mozart
Symphony 31 in D (K 297) was brilliant? These are teen-agers - what
do they know about playing music with feeling and expression? Quick!
Somebody better tell them they are not being the typical kid orchestra!
And while you're at it, tell Keimach that he's making these kids sound
like mature musicians, will you? This could bring about some serious
changes in the lives of these students!
When the second offering of the
evening came, we sort of thought this would be the time when the real "kid
music" would show itself. Who knew that fourteen year old
Pianist Hillary Lin Santoso was such an accomplished player? Her
rendition of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in d was exquisite - maybe
better. The second movement, the Rondo, was incredible and some
passages almost took the breath away - she's that good.
By now it had become evident that
this was no ordinary youth orchestra. When they attacked Beethoven's
Symphony No. 1 in C Major you knew you had been listening to something out
of the ordinary. The sheer confidence and poise these young people
exhibit as they play through the measures, some difficult, some easy, but
all of them precise and melodic, is a sign that they believe they can do
it.
That belief is fueled by the
evident connection that exists between Brad Keimach and the orchestra.
How is it that these kids can pull off such a professional and mature
demeanor? Easy. Brad Keimach asks them to do it - he tells them they
can do it, and they believe him. Then they put in hours and hours of
practice and the minute they step on stage it shows.
One can only imagine what kind of
world it would be if everyone had the same commitment to excellence that
we see in the orchestra and their conductor. If there is one thing
that could improve it would be to have more musicians which would expand
the repertoire of available music.
However, the GYO as it now
operates is doing a wonderful service on three distinct levels It's
a definite asset to the city of Glendale and its cultural activities, it
brings beautiful and meaningful music to people who may not have heard it
before and it is helping to shape the lives and characters of the young
musicians who devote their time, energy and talent to the pursuit of
music.
It's a good thing the orchestra
didn't get the memo way back when. We don't need more mediocre
artists cluttering up the airwaves with what passes for musical talent.
- To see some real talent click the link below
for future concerts by the orchestra.
