Minnesota Youth Symphonies, commonly referred to as MYS, was founded in 1972 by Ralph Winkler. The program has five
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
s composed of students from elementary level through high school,
with participation's based on an annual audition. All levels of MYS perform at
Orchestra Hall in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, as well as other locations, and hosts workshops and classes.
Orchestras
Participation is based on an
audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...
in which the prospective student must perform an appropriate solo, orchestral excerpt, scales and arpeggios, and must sight-read.
The orchestras perform three major concerts in the Twin Cities area, primarily at
Orchestra Hall in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. There are also other performance opportunities throughout the year. Every fall the orchestras host the Symphony Solo Competition; the winners of the competition perform at the Symphony Orchestra's spring concert.
In addition to performances, MYS hosts workshops and classes, and an annual summer music program, that usually consists of a chamber string workshop and a composition workshop. The MYS Symphony Orchestra has historically, recently, and will continue to tour internationally. The most recent trip was to Cuba in the summer of 2017
String Orchestra
The String Orchestra is gauged for the intermediate playing level for only those who play the violin, viola, cello, or bass. The orchestra provides these players with a comprehensive string ensemble experience. The literature for the students is designed to broaden their repertoire and learn more advanced techniques for both playing and following a conductor. The students learn how to successfully navigate difficult passages on their instrument and learn how to listen for orchestral intonation.
Wind Orchestra
The Wind Orchestra is gauged for the intermediate playing level for only those who play woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments. This orchestra provides these players with a comprehensive wind ensemble experience. The literature for the students is designed to broaden their repertoire and learn more advanced techniques for both playing and following a conductor. The students learn how to successfully navigate difficult passages on their instrument and learn how to listen for orchestral intonation.
Philharmonic Orchestra
The Philharmonic Orchestra, which is designed to be a full symphony
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
, is placed at the advanced intermediate playing level. The literature is a combination of arranged and unedited works designed to expose students to a symphony orchestra experience. During rehearsals, there is time set aside for sectionals to iron out specific passages along with exploring different ways to play a passage and nuances to the piece.
Pieces that have been played by the Philharmonic Orchestra include ''
Carmen Suites'' by
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...
, ''Dance of the Tumblers from
The Snow Maiden
''The Snow Maiden'' (subtitle: A Spring Fairy Tale) ( rus, Снегурочка–весенняя сказка, Snegúrochka–vesénnyaya skázka, italic=yes ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composed ...
'' by
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
, a
Merle J. Isaac arrangement of ''Dance Infernale, Berceuse and Finale'' from ''
The Firebird
''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's ...
''by
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
and ''
Finlandia
''Finlandia'', Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian ...
'' by
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...
.''
Repertory Orchestra
The Repertory Orchestra is also designed to be a full symphony orchestra and is placed at the advanced level. Most, if not all, the literature in this orchestra is unedited. The orchestra helps players refine advanced playing techniques in both sectionals and full-orchestra rehearsals.
The orchestra's repertoire includes the ''Overture'' from ''
Candide
( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'' by
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
, ''
William Tell Overture
The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera ''William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, af ...
'' by
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
, ''
Symphony No. 3'' (Organ) by
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...
, the ''Overture'' to ''
Rienzi
' (''Rienzi, the last of the tribunes''; WWV 49) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name (1835). The title is commonly shortened to ''Rienzi ...
'' by
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
, ''
Symphony No. 9'' (From the New World) by
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...
, ''
Marche Slave
The ''Marche slave'' () in B-flat minor, Op. 31, is an orchestral tone poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky published in 1876. It was written to celebrate Russia's intervention in the Serbian-Ottoman War.
Titling
It has been published various ...
'' and ''
Symphony No. 4'' both by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
.
Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra is also designed to be a symphony orchestra and plays at a collegiate level. The orchestra is considered the top orchestra in program. The program explores, in-depth, the many ways to interpret a phrase and other complex musical aspects. The orchestra also has an annual Symphony Solo Competition; the two winners of this competition perform their selected movement of their piece to perform with the Symphony Orchestra.
A few highlights of the orchestra's repertoire include ''
Scheherazade
Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the ''One Thousand and One Nights''.
Name
According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' deri ...
'' by Rimksy-Korsakov, ''
The Rite of Spring
''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...
'' by Stravinsky, ''
The Planets
''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...
'' by
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
, ''
Symphony No. 3'' by
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
.
Directors
MYS was under the artistic direction of
Manny Laureano
Manny Laureano (born August 17, 1955) is an American trumpet player and conductor.
He is currently the Principal trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra,. Laureano began his musical studies in the New York City public school system and received his ...
, principal trumpet of the
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall.
History
Em ...
, and his wife, Claudette Laureano, director of the
Breck School
Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school includes a ''Lower School'' consisting of g ...
's String Program, for thirty-two years.
Previous music/artistic directors have included Ralph Winkler, Ed Forner (former Assistant Conductor with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Professor of Music at
Macalester College
Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...
),
Bill McGlaughlin
William McGlaughlin (born October 3, 1943) is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs ''Exploring Music'' and ''Saint P ...
, Clyn D. Barrus and David Tubergen. Under Winkler and Forner's initial leadership, MYS grew from a single orchestra to three ensembles ranging from beginning students to college-level musicians. MYS grew to four orchestras and over 400 students under the leadership of Manny and Claudette Laureano and became known nationally as one of the nation's leading youth symphony organizations, adding a summer program and community outreach programs serving over 600 students.
Alumni
Several alumni of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies program hold positions with professional orchestras, such as the
Boston Symphony
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
,
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
,
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
,
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall.
History
Em ...
, the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Dallas, Texas. Its principal performing venue is the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas.
History
The orchestra traces its origins to a ...
, the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cincin ...
and the
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...
.
MYS
In 1972, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Society ended its sponsorship of the St. Paul Youth Orchestra, and Ralph Winkler established a new youth orchestra, the Minnesota Youth Symphony.
MYS toured
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
in 1973, becoming the first American youth orchestra to tour in a communist country. In 1992, the MYS Symphony Orchestra became the first orchestra to perform in the Super Bowl's half-time show, when
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
was played at the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...
in Minneapolis.
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...
guest-conducted "The Magnificent Seven" with the MYS Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997. MYS has collaborated with many noted guest artists, conductors and performing groups including Minnesota Orchestra Music Director
Osmo Vänskä
Osmo Antero Vänskä (born 28 February 1953) is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer.
Biography
Vänskä started his musical career as an orchestral clarinetist with the Turku Philharmonic (1971–76). He then became the principal clar ...
,
Butch Thompson
Richard Enos "Butch" Thompson (November 28, 1943 – August 14, 2022) was an American jazz pianist and clarinetist best known for his ragtime and stride performances.
Music career
Thompson was born in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, began pl ...
, Charles Lazarus,
Jorja Fleezanis
Jorja Kay Fleezanis (March 19, 1952 – September 9, 2022) was an American violinist and the Henry A. Upper Chair at Indiana University.
Fleezanis grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Greek immigrants. A graduate of Cass Technical High S ...
,
Bel Canto Chorus
The Bel Canto Chorus is a Milwaukee-area community chorus, and one of the oldest musical organizations in Wisconsin.
History
The choir was first founded in 1931 as the Festival Singers of Milwaukee. The group first consisted of four women and fou ...
, St. Paul City Ballet, Minnesota Boys Choir, Ignacio "Nachito" Herrera,
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...
and the T.C. Swing Dancers.
In the winter of 2007, MYS Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Manny Laureano, performed Stravinsky's ''
Rite of Spring
''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...
'' in concert at Orchestra Hall, which was a first for MYS.
The 2007/08 season marked the 35th anniversary of MYS as well as the 20th anniversary of co-artistic directors Claudette and Manny Laureano. In honor of these events, each of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies' four orchestras premiered original works by Minnesotan composers. Full orchestral pieces were commissioned from composers
Stephen Paulus
Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.
His best-known piece is his 1 ...
, Shelley Hanson and MYS alumnus Edward (Teddy) Niedermaier. To select the fourth work, MYS held a composition competition open to MYS students and alumni under the age of 21. Aaron Hirsch, of
Sleepy Eye, Minnesota won this contest with his composition for string orchestra.
In 2015, MYS was invited to take part in the opening concerts at the newly renovated
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers, and produces local musicals. It is home to several lo ...
. During the two-year
renovation
Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...
of Orchestra Hall, MYS performed in various venues around the Twin Cities, such as churches and concert halls.
In 2017, the MYS Symphony Orchestra toured Cuba, on the heels of the Minnesota Orchestra's historic tour.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1972 establishments in Minnesota
American youth orchestras
Musical groups established in 1972
Orchestras based in Minnesota
Youth organizations based in Minnesota