SCHENECTADY, NY (NEWS10) – The Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) has announced its 2022-2023 season. The new season, which runs from September to early June, includes 30 unique performances, fourteen ESYO and CHIME ensembles, hundreds of young musicians from upstate New York and western Massachusetts, and thousands dedicated rehearsal hours.
The season begins Sunday, October 30 at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall with ESYO’s flagship symphony orchestra performing Beethoven’s 7th Symphony; a work that Beethoven described as “the glory of light through darkness”. The concert also includes Gabriella Smith’s Field Guide, a musical safari into the natural world, as well as percussion interventions in Beethoven’s piece and student-led instant composition.
Marking his first season as musical director, violinist and classical music pioneer, Etienne Abelin sees this season as a new movement in ESYO’s four-decade history. “The season builds on what makes the ESYO experience so unique,” said Abelin. “It challenges the region’s most passionate young musicians to see music-making as a joyous pursuit of musical excellence. This new season will carry this brand with a pinch of something new.
Abelin, whose musical career has spanned the globe and included performances with celebrity conductors like Claudio Abbado and Pierre Boulez and cutting-edge artists such as Fabrizio Cassol and Gabriel Prokofiev, sees the vital role youth orchestras play in our communities. . “They are connectors and bridges. It is about presenting and being here and now. And orchestras tell stories! he said.
These ideas are rooted in what Abelin calls MusicNOW; a philosophy curated by Abelin that combines existing and emerging ideas, approaches, and exercises to awaken and nurture dimensions of music education that are often underdeveloped among musicians today. MusicNOW turns musicians into movers, connectors, storytellers, improvisers and creators, says Abelin.
These dimensions influence musicality by being a counterpoint to the rigid perfectionism often associated with orchestral playing. “It allows for more curiosity and risk-taking, which are at the heart of creativity and our sense of well-being,” Abelin said. “He connects music to the movement of our bodies and our emotions. It makes our eyes shine as we breathe together and listen intently to each other,” he continued. “The young musicians of ESYO increasingly become NOW musicians who, over time, develop excellence in different ways and dimensions. They are put in the driving seat and become true leaders. It is a multi-year effort and I’m excited to launch it this season!”
Elements of MusicNOW were unveiled during a week-long residency by Woodstock-based composer and inventor of Soundpainting, Walter Thompson. Soundpainting is an innovative compositional sign language that connects music with movement using over 1500 gestures to compose music live, right now, with other musicians, dancers, actors and visual artists.
Symphony orchestra violist Peyton Roach was one of the first to try Soundpainting. “The Soundpainting was a very unique experience,” Roach said. “It was like playing a game. Every gesture of the Soundpainter translates directly into an action that the musicians perform.
Throughout the year, ESYO will host Soundpainting sets and collaborative workshops featuring guest artists and experts in storytelling, creative movement, breathing and improvisation. Audiences can experience Soundpainting and, as another MusicNOW-inspired novelty, cheerful encore performances that include choreography and often feature multiple ESYO ensembles at various ESYO concerts, including opening day with the ESYO Symphony Orchestra on October 30.
The season also includes a collaboration with RPI’s Rensselaer Orchestra with Music: Eyes, a new digital music visualization tool, the return of CBS’ Melodies of Christmas after a two-year hiatus, performances by the new chamber orchestra directed by ESYO students, the Annual Young People’s Concert on March 8, and the Lois Lyman Concerto Competition. The season ends June 4, 2023 at Carnegie Hall, a fitting finale to an exciting season.
Young musicians interested in joining ESYO this season can audition for ESYO by attending an open rehearsal this fall or by attending ESYO’s open audition at Proctors on Friday, September 30 or Saturday, October 1, 2022. Auditions are taking place each fall to fill vacancies in certain ensembles. To learn more about membership, visit the ESYO website.
FALL CONCERT SCHEDULE 2022-2023
Opening morning
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sunday October 30, 2022, 3:00 p.m.
Troy Savings Bank Music Room
ESYO PERCUSSION SETS
Monday, November 7, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Brown School, Schenectady
REPERTORY ORCHESTRA, STRING ORCHESTRA,
& CONCERTINO STRINGS
Sunday, November 13, 2022, 3:00 p.m.
Troy Savings Bank Music Room
YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA AND REPERTOIRE JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Sunday, November 20, 2022, 3:00 p.m.
Carl B. Taylor Auditorium at SUNY Schenectady
HOLIDAYS AT ESYO
WIND ORCHESTRA
Saturday, December 10, 2022, 3 p.m.
Massry Center for the Arts at Sainte-Rose College
CHRISTMAS MELODIES
With the ESYO symphony orchestra and the melodies of the Christmas choir
From Thursday 15 December to Sunday 18 December 2022
MainStage at Proctors, Schenectady
Proceeds are donated to the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at Albany Medical Center.
ESYO PERCUSSION HOLIDAY CONCERT
Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Brown School, Schenectady
ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS
YOUNG ESYO CONCERT
Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
Main Internship at Protors
ESYO SENIORS CONCERT
Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 1:00 p.m.
Main Internship at Protors
ESYO PLAYATHON
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Crossgates Shopping Center
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT CARNEGIE HALL
Sunday, June 4, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Comments are closed.