Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras are the major

youth orchestras Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

serving Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and surrounding areas.

History

The Eugene Junior Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934, supported by the newly-formed Eugene Junior Symphony Association. Founders included Mrs. C.A. Horton and Genevieve Tugman. The first conductor was Rex Underwood, and Delbert Moore was assistant conductor. In 1946, Douglas Orme became conductor, and the association began providing scholarships to musicians for private lessons. The orchestra was renamed the Eugene Junior Symphony Association (EJSA) in 1959. EJSA sponsored a second orchestra, Junior Strings, conducted by Nathan Cammack, as a feeder orchestra for the Junior Symphony. In 1987, EJSA became the Eugene Youth Symphony Association (EYSA), with Richard Long its first music director. The Junior Strings added woodwinds, brass and percussion and became the Eugene Junior Orchestra. EYSA became the Arts Umbrella in 1994, broadening its scope to include dance and drama classes. In 1995, David Chinburg became conductor of the Junior Orchestra, and the organization also sponsored a Cadet Orchestra (now called the Little Symphony), led by Forrest Moyer. A fourth orchestra, Encore Strings, was added to the existing program, later becoming String Academy 2. The Arts Umbrella received the Fentress Award in 2004, for "exceptional work and achievement in the arts". Richard Long continued to serve as the director until the beginning of the 2009 season. The 2009 season was directed by Dave Chinburg, and orchestra conductors included

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

music professors Robert Ponto and Fritz Gearhart for the first half of the season, and

Lane Community College Lane Community College is a public community college in Eugene, Oregon, with additional facilities in downtown Eugene, Florence, Cottage Grove, and the Lane Aviation Academy at Eugene Airport. Lane serves more than 26,000 credit and non-credit ...

music instructor Ron Bertucci for the last half of the season. Jason Duckles was hired then as Youth Symphony conductor. Myra Tam became executive director. In 2011 Michele Pound was appointed executive director and Dana Demant became Junior Orchestra conductor. The eightieth season, in 2013, saw the organization renamed yet again as the Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras (ESYO), celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2014 with a "concert extravaganza". Alumna Tracy Bonham Fine debuted her new song, "We Are the Future," at the concert. Jason Duckles conducted the Youth Symphony from 2010–2015. He noted that the long tradition of nonprofit youth orchestras reflects the values of the community. Karen Doerfert became conductor of the Little Symphony in 2013, and in 2014 Holly Spencer was hired as ESYO's Executive Director. The orchestras are now funded by a Eugene-based non-profit organization that provides arts education opportunities for children in

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Orego ...

. The Eugene Youth Symphony performs several concerts annually and has been conducted since 2017 by David Jacobs, director of orchestral studies at the

Programs

Modern programs of the Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras include two string academies, the Little Symphony, the Junior Orchestra, and the Youth Symphony.

References

External links

* {{authority control Education in Eugene, Oregon American youth orchestras Musical groups from Eugene, Oregon 1934 establishments in Oregon Musical groups established in 1934 Youth organizations based in Oregon Orchestras based in Oregon Culture of Eugene, Oregon