Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra to perform at Richardson Auditorium
By Keith Loria
If you’re one that appreciates listening to a talented crop of young musicians, head out to Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall at Princeton University on June 7, as the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra will present its annual spring concert at 8 p.m.
The night will consist of performances from both the Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra, the two ensembles that make up the senior division of GPYO. Dr. Arvin Gopal takes the baton of the former, while Kawika Kahalehoe conducts the symphonic orchestra.
”Classical music has the ability to entertain and educate. In a time where younger people are inundated with music that has little benefit to their improvement as a person, and even less artistic merit, it is important to cleanse your listening palette with music that is chockfull of both,” Mr. Kahalehoe says. “The pieces on this concert are of the highest artistic quality, and offer the listener a window into areas of our culture that are beautiful and too often overlooked.”
Mr. Kahalehoe also believes it’s very important for younger people to see their peers performing so that they can see what is possible, and hopefully gravitate toward something positive like GPYO and classical music.
”Music education has become one of the leading goals of GPYO, and one of the primary reasons that we are expanding our ensemble offerings to include a choir for the 2014-15 season,” he says. “My dream is to stand on stage with the orchestra in front of me and the GPYO Choir behind the orchestra and conduct Verdi’s Requiem.”
The Symphonic Orchestra music lineup will include Capriccio Espagnol (N. Rimsky-Korsakov), The Gypsy Baron Overture (J. Strauss), Der Freischutz Overture (C.M. von Weber) and Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni).
Additionally, the Symphonic Orchestra will present a selection of Italian arias with celebrated tenor soloist, Jon Darios. Selections include ‘O surdato ‘nnammurato (E. Canio), A Vucchella (F. Tosti), A Marechiare (F. Tosti) and Una Furtiva lagrima (G. Donizetti).
Mr. Kahalehoe says that seeing the guest performer collaborate with the orchestra is one of his favorite parts of the concert.
”Any orchestral performance can be an arduous process for the listener. Classical repertoire has the propensity to be academic at times, and trying of the casual classical music listener,” he says. “The music we perform with Jon Darios is more on the popular side. Many of these pieces have been performed by Pavarotti, Caruso, Lanza, and other very well know Italian tenors. In addition to the level of enjoyment these pieces bring to the audience members and performers, they hold a very special and unique place in music and cultural history that is important to preserve and celebrate. Jon is the perfect performer for this. His mastery of the art form, and understanding of the songs is unmatched.”
Another highlight will see student Katarzyna Dobrzycka featured on flute performing the Rondo from Mozart’s flute concerto in G major K 313.
”Each year we run a concert competition where students in the senior level ensembles can audition to perform a movement of a concerto with the symphonic orchestra,” Mr. Kahalehoe says. “This year our winner was Katarzyna.”
The members of both orchestras are selected through an audition process in which they must perform a piece of music that best demonstrates their level of playing, as well as a few scales and arpeggios.
”Students in each ensemble are placed by their individual playing abilities, with the most advanced students placing into the symphonic orchestra,” Mr. Kahalehoe says. “We generally try to stay in the range of grades eight through 12, but there have been a few very advanced students younger than eighth graders who have placed into these groups.”
For instance, Dallas Noble, is the concert master of the symphonic orchestra and is currently in eighth grade, but has been in the highest level group since she was in fifth grade.
Each of these young musicians, Mr. Kahalehoe says, will walk out of this performance with something that they rarely have the chance to experience.
”In one performance they will play some of the most challenging music written for orchestra, accompany a flute soloist, perform with a vocalist, and all of this in the beautiful venue that is Richardson Auditorium,” he says. “I’m not sure if the opportunities I had were as good when I was their age, but if I had the chance to perform in this concert when I was in high school, I would have been elated.”
For more information, visit www.gpyo.org. Tickets cost $30, $10 for students, and are available at www.princeton.edu/utickets.