LJYO in the News

February, 2010

Youth Orchestra presents ʻIn The Spotlightʼ on Feb 21.

      Your average symphony concert may not include a marimba solo, or a violin imitating a banjo. But local audiences have long since learned that there is nothing average about a concert by La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra.
     LJYOʼs ʻIn The Spotlightʼ concert on February 21 features four accomplished soloists plus a guest conductor, each taking their turns to shine. The programme features intriguing and unusual pieces as well as classics by Sibelius and Dvorák.
     Max Bruchʼs Violin Concerto in G Minor is one of the more famous pieces on the programme – but there is nothing ordinary about the demands it places on a soloist. LJYO concertmaster Sarah McCabe says “I have loved this piece from the moment I first heard it, and I am thrilled to be performing it now with LJYO.”
     Sarah has been with LJYO for six years, and is currently preparing for auditions in Performance Violin at several universities. She also loves acting and currently has the lead in her school play in Bowmanville.
     Kate Louws, also of Bowmanville, is featured on the Flute Concertino by Cecile Chaminade. She says “The variety of styles in this piece makes it a challenge for me, and I am excited to have an opportunity to perform it with LJYO. This piece is unique in that it is one of the few from its era to be composed by a woman.”
     Kate says “Though music is an important part of my life, my relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important part of my life. I also love adventure and being outside, hiking, playing Frisbee and skiing.”
     Violinist Colleen Jenish of Oshawa performs William Krollʼs Banjo and Fiddle. “It is an exhilarating, rhapsodic piece,” she says. “It starts with a pizzicato technique imitating the banjo, moving to a fast-paced tune in the voice of the fiddle. When the tempo slows, the fiddle sings a romantic lament.”
     Colleen also plays Canadian-style fiddle music and dances Ottawa Valleystyle stepdancing.
     Anna Karpazis of Oakwood steps out from the LJYO percussion section to showcase her talents on the marimba. She says “Paul Crestonʼs Concertino for Marimba is one of the few orchestral pieces to feature marimba. Iʼm playing the second movement, whose chordal melody reflects the mood. The four-mallet technique is challenging, and rewarding when the chord transitions blend together smoothly.”
     Anna is also auditioning in university music programmes and hopes to carry on with her percussion studies.
     Nathan Miller of Newcastle, also a member of LJYOʼs percussion section, takes a turn as conductor, on Elliott del Borgoʼs Chant and Joyous Dance. He says “Having the opportunity to conduct the orchestra is an absolute blessing. Being able to experience the orchestra the way that [LJYO Music Director] Michael Lyons sees the orchestra is just pure adrenaline.
     “The piece Iʼm conducting is really exciting and will be a huge advantage for me to have under my belt when I go to university.” Nathan hopes to become a music teacher.
     Port Hope-based LJYO is now in its 11th year, and continues to grow. The Orchestra currently has 37 members, travelling from as far as Oshawa in the west and Castleton in the east. Eight adult coaches join music director Michael Lyons and strings director Laurie Mitchell in providing this intensive music development programme.