Hawaii Youth Symphony Newsletter Learn • Perform • Grow February 2015
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SAVE THESE DATES! YSI Maui Community Concert Mon., February 16, 2015, 4:00 pm Maui Arts & Cultural Center YSII Community Concert With Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus Sun., February 22, 2015, 5:00 pm Kawaiahao Church CO Community Concert Sun., March 1, 2015, 3:00 pm Ala Moana Shopping Center YSI Spring Community Concert Special Guests Conrad Tao, piano & Iggy Jang, violin Sun., April 12, 2015 4:00 pm Neil Blasidell Concert Hall
YSII/CO Spring Community Concert Sun., April 19, 2015, 4:00 pm Roosevelt High School Auditorium Academy Spring Concert Sat., April 25, 2015, 2:00 pm Kaimuki High School Auditorium YSI/YSII Aloha Concert Luncheon Special Guest: Robert Cazimero Sun., May 17, 2015, 11:30 am Hilton Hawaiian Village Alumni Chamber Music Concert Fri., June 5, 2015, 6:00 pm Hawaii State Art Museum, 2nd Floor Please check our website for updates and more information! HAWAII YOUTH SYMPHONY 1110 University Ave. Suite 200 Honolulu, HI 96826-1598 Office Open 9-5, Monday to Friday (808) 941-9706 • HiYouthSymphony.org
Celebrating 50 Years of Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music
Youth Symphony I to Perform Maui Concerts
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awaii Youth Symphony’s top youth orchestra, Youth Symphony I, will perform free concerts at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului on February 16 and 17, 2015. The annual concert tour aims to showcase the unique and superb musical talents of Hawaii’s finest young musicians from across the state, including those who live on Maui. These symphonic music concerts have been part of Hawaii Youth Symphony’s service to the community since the early 1980s. The tour provides an opportunity for HYS students to give back to the communities on the neighbor islands through music, while also increasing access and exposure to orchestral music for all.
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concert on President’s Day (Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, 4 pm) will showcase 101 high school student musicians, ages 14-18, from Oahu and Maui. The concert will include a performance by special guest violinist Ignace “Iggy” Jang, concertmaster of the professional Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in Honolulu. Also featured is Punahou School senior Yun Chang, who is a violinist in HYS, but will perform on George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on piano. Mahalo to our donors; our ohana and friends on Maui; and our parent volunteers & chaperones who are helping us to make this tour possible! ♫
Winter Concerts’ “Musical Gifts” a Big Hit
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his year’s Winter Concert Series was presented by First Hawaiian Bank on December 7 and 14, and featured HYS performers at all levels. The series, titled, “Musical Gifts from the Masters,” gave students the opportunity to learn nationalistic styles representing a wide range of backgrounds. Emceeing the respective concerts were Miss Hawaii USA Emma Wo and String Coordinator Charlotte Fukumoto.
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onductors Susan Ochi-Onishi and Hannah Watanabe led the Concert Orchestra in works from Russian, Spanish, and American composers; the concert began with CO’s performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s wildly exciting Dubinushka.
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outh Symphony II, led by conductors Derrick Yamane and Elton Masaki, performed the ever-popular “Moldau” movement from Bedrich Smetana’s Ma Vlast, as well as the first movement from Camille Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5, with Keri Hui as soloist. (Hui, along with YSI soloist Ms. Shiori Kuwahara, won the solo competition at the Aloha International Piano Festival last June.) Henry Miyamura and Youth Symphony I closed out the Symphony Program concert with music from Edouard Lalo (“Le Roi d’Ys” Overture), Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (with Kuwahara as soloist), Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave, and Bernstein’s West Side Story.
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he second Winter Concert—performed by students in the Academy String Program and Music in the Clubhouse Program—was held at Kaimuki High School Auditorium. 129 young string players and 13 young wind/brass students played a selection of holiday and classical music to a packed house. Conducting the ensembles were Wayne Fanning (Clubhouse Band), Joan Doike (Beginning String Ensemble & String Orchestra Ensemble), Helen Fong (Intermediate String Ensemble), and Chad Uyehara (Concert String Orchestra). Congratulations to all of our performers! ♫
February 2015 • Page 2
HYS: Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music for 50 Years
Noteworthy Results!
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hank you to everyone who made donations to HYS during September’s Noteworthy Challenge! Together, you raised over $54,000! We received over $14,000 via Foodland’s GiveAloha program, putting us in their Top 100, and successfully earned the $20,000 required for a match from the George Mason Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. It was the perfect way for us to start off our season, and we truly thank you for your support! MAHALO! ♫ YSI violinists Elisabeth Sewell, Matt Uchida, Megan Uchida, and Katie Sewell performed at the State Capitol for Governor Ige’s inauguration on December 1, 2014
Letter from the Executive Director Dear HYS Friends, It’s with great humility and thanks that I report to you on the success (thus far) of our 50th Anniversary Season! The energy this year has really just been nothing short of super. Each concert has been prepared by our students, conductors, volunteers, and staff with precision befitting our organization’s history and legacy. In preparation for our Na Mele fundraiser, I did some research using the good ol’ microfiche at the Hawaii State Library. I was impressed (but not surprised) at how many articles, interviews, and concert reviews that have been published over our first 50 years. Almost every article I came across described, in detail, the perserverance of our youth and their abilities to make truly fine music. These positive perceptions of our students’ music are testament to why HYS is important to the local community. It has been wonderful to meet more new friends and supporters at each of our events. I deeply appreciate your passion for our children’s music. You each play important roles in HYS’s history and success. Keep up the good work, and see you at the next concert!
Guest Artist Spotlight: Conrad Tao & Iggy Jang
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YS will continue its 50th Anniversary Celebration on April 12, 2015 with a spectacular Spring Concert at Blaisdell Concert Hall that will pair truly world-class artists with Youth Symphony I. Gracing our stage will be Conrad Tao, a phenomenally-talented pianist who made his Honolulu debut last year with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (HSO), and Iggy Jang, HSO concertmaster.
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onrad Tao, an Avery Fisher Career Grant awardee, has also been named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and was the only classical artist named by Forbes magazine in 2011 as one of the “30 Under 30” in the music industry. He’ll be performing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with YSI.
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ggy Jang is a familiar face to local residents, but to be able to hear him perform an entire solo work with orchestra will be an extra special treat! The Carmen Fantasy is a work by Pablo de Sarasate that incorporates themes from the opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet. It is a favorite work for virtuoso violinists to perform and includes many technically challenging passages. ♫
50th Anniversary T-Shirt Design!
Musically Yours, HYS programs are supported by the City & County of Honolulu and the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from
Executive Director & HYS ‘99 Designed by YSI violinist Megan Uchida
February 2015 • Page 3
HYS: Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music for 50 Years
Upcoming Concert Previews YSII to perform with Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus Sunday, February 22 will be Youth Symphony II’s next scheduled concert. (Unfortunately, October’s YSII Community Concert with HYOC was cancelled due to inclement weather.) Fortunately, some of the music that was scheduled for that performance is being programmed for the concert on February 22! It’s simply phenomenal what our students can accomplish. Please attend this program, which will be held at Kawaiahao Church, for an amazing afternoon of choral and orchestral music! CO to make Ala Moana Center Stage Debut This March, Concert Orchestra will perform at the newly-renovated Ala Moana Center Stage. It has been several years since HYS has performed at Ala Moana, and we are looking forward to making our return. Please come on Sunday, March 1, at 3:00 pm to hear music from 99 students representing 26 schools! ♫
Share Your HYS Memories! Do you have a good collection of photos from yesteryear? Or a particular knack for remembering or recognizing your peers? HYS could use your help! Not only do we have many photos with unidentified people, but we are also on the look-out for alums that we have lost touch with over the years! We are also collecting stories and memories to share as part of our 50th Anniversary season. Please contact the office if you are interested and would like to help us. ♫
HYS on Hawaii Public Radio!
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n honor of our 50th Anniversary, a broadcast of the Dec. 7 Symphony Program Winter Concert was underwritten by Hawaii Independent Energy and aired on Hawaii Public Radio on December 28. In addition to the concert, the broadcast also included an interview by Gene Schiller (HPR Music Director) of our Music Director, Henry Miyamura. If you would like to hear more of HYS on the radio, please let our executive director know! ♫
Save the Date! May 17, 2015 is our Aloha Concert Luncheon! This annual event highlights the contributions of our graduating senior class, and gives our students the opportunity to perform with another worldclass guest artist. This year’s artist will be Robert Cazimero. Tickets for this event will go on sale in April and the event will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom. Stay tuned to the HYS website for more information. ♫
See Our New Video! We teamed up with Take 2 Production to create a video that showcases our programs and community services. If you haven’t already seen it, watch it at our website, HiYouthSymphony.org/ Video2014. Super mahalos to Natalie Pawluk, Kisa & Lylas Uradomo, Jean Tsukamoto, Jeffrey Hayashi, Brent Ramos, Derrick Yamane, Henry Miyamura, Randy Wong, and Jake Shimabukuro for sharing their insights on the value of HYS. ♫
HYS Alumni in the News Michael-Thomas Foumai (HYS ‘05) has received numerous awards recently, including being named as the 2013 Music Teachers National Association Composer of the Year, and being selected by Maestro Lorin Maazel as Winner of the Composer’s Forum Competition at the Castleton Festival. In November, he was awarded a commission from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University for a new work to be composed for Philadelphia-based flutist Mimi Stillman; and in January was the focus of a MidWeek article by former mayor Mufi Hanneman. Dr. Foumai recently returned home to Hawaii after several years studying composition at the University of Michigan, where he attained his DMA. Watch for an announcement from HYS relating to the world premiere of a new Foumai work in our 2015-16 season! ♫
HYS: Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music for 50 Years
HYS Receives Proclamation from Mayor Kirk Caldwell
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February 2015 • Page 4
ayor Kirk Caldwell proclaimed December 7, 2014 as “Hawaii Youth Symphony Day,” in recognition of HYS’s 50 years of community service through music education and our history of performing in the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. (Blaisdell Center is also celebrating its golden anniversary this year.) The Mayor’s Proclamation was presented at the Winter Concert to HYS President Chris Yuen by Misty Kela‘i, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts. The Proclamation is reproduced below; please enjoy! ♫
February 2015 • Page 5
HYS: Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music for 50 Years
HYS to Distribute Over $32,000 in Financial Aid This Season!
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significant portion of our annual budget includes monies for financial aid, travel assistance (for neighbor island students), and scholarships towards instrument rental and private lessons. While HYS has always been committed to making music education accessible to students of all backgrounds, the Michael Nakasone Legacy Scholarship Fund in Honor of Youth Symphony II was created in 2010 to help us truly honor that commitment. We thank our lucky stars for the generous donor who made the $500,000 gift to seed that fund! ♫
50th Anniversary Na Mele Fundraiser Raises Nearly $85,000
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awaii Youth Symphony’s 50th Anniversary gala fundraiser, He Makana O Na Mele: The Gift of Music, was presented by Bank of Hawaii Foundation on November 23, 2014. Nearly 630 supporters attended the event, which celebrated HYS’s golden anniversary with a dinner and concert that paired entertainer Makana with YSI and Maestro Miyamura. Denby Dung of the Royal Hawaiian Band was our emcee!
Guests were treated to a special performance by the HYS Dixieland Band. The band was inspired by an early 60s appearance of Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars with HYS, and consisted of alums and long-time supporters (Stanton Haugen, Jonathan Cabagbag, Daryl Akamichi, KeAnuenue Hayashi, Travis Asato, Jeremy Lawi, and Garrett Martin).
Makana was joined by Lopaka Colon and Lono Kaumehiewa
YSI, comprised this year of 101 students from Oahu and Maui, performed several of Makana’s compositions orchestrated by Neil McKay and Dale Senaga.
Mahalo to Event Chair Tina Lau, Silent Auction Chair Vicky Chiu-Irion, Les Murata & crew crew,, and our 50th Anniversary Committee ((Patti Patti Look Look,, Jean Tsukamoto, Roy King King, Chris Yuen, Nathan Hokama, Laurie LaGrange LaGrange, and Henry Miyamura Miyamura), our Board of Directors, and our volunteers for their hard work in making this year’s Na Mele truly memorable! We would also like to acknowledge this year’s Title Sponsor, Bank of Hawaii Foundation, and our Maestro’s Circle sponsors, Mrs. Edith Leong, Accuity LLP / Mr. & Mrs. Kent Tsukamoto, and Hawaiian Host! ♫
Listen & Learn Concerts Served Over 10,000 Children This Year!
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ducational concerts performed by CO, YSII, and YSI served 10,164 Pre K-5 students and teachers across Oahu. The five concerts were held from December 8-10, 2014 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. In attendance were 60 public (DOE) schools, 7 independent schools, and several home schools across Oahu. The concerts were made possible, in part, by grants from the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and Arts and the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts. Mahalo to each and every student who performed, as well as the dozens of parent volunteers who helped us with check-in, queuing buses, and more! ♫
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Hawaii Youth Symphony Association
1110 University Ave., #200 Honolulu, HI 96826-1598 (808) 941-9706 • www.HiYouthSymphony.org
Celebrating 50 Years of Serving Hawaii’s Youth Through Music
Stay In Touch with HYS! While our Of Note newsletter comes out 3 times per year, we have plenty of news, events, and opportunities
Calling All Crafters, Bakers, and Artists! Our next Country Store will be at our Aloha Concert Luncheon on Sunday, May 17, 2015.
youth in action!
We really appreciate donations of items like crafts, jewelry, small pieces of art, brownies, cookies, and snack mix, and especially love it when our supporters get involved.
Be sure to connect with us on Facebook,
The most popular items are music-themed! So if you have a creative spirit and want to help HYS, this may be your chance!
throughout the year for you to see our
to see our most recent photos, videos, and cool memories!
Non-perishable Country Store items may be brought to the HYS office, now through Friday, May 15, 2015.
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Please contact us at (808) 941-9706 or email Admin@HiYouthSymphony.org if you have any questions.
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Mahalo for your support!