HAW AII Y OUT H SYM
PHONY | SPRING 2025 NEWSLETT E R
INTERGENERATIONAL CELEBRATION REIMAGINES BEETHOVEN’S LEGACY In March, students from HYS’ Youth Symphony I, Concert String Orchestra, Music in the Clubhouse Honolulu’s Ukulele Class and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra participated in a groundbreaking collaboration that bridged generations of musicians and music. The unique Side-by-Side concert was held at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, offering free admission for guests to take in the enthralling conclusion of HSO’s Beethoven Festival. Under the direction of HYS Director of Orchestral Activities Maestro Joseph Stepec, the Sideby-Side orchestra performed Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Elysium: Fanfares on Themes from the Beethoven Symphonies, and under the direction of Maestro Dane Lam, performed excerpts from Dmitri Shostakovich’s landmark Symphony No. 5 in D minor. “I love seeing young talent and learners really passionate about making music together,” said Helen Liu, HSO violinist. “It’s a symbiotic relationship: students learn by doing, and we [professionals] learn by teaching. It’s a great opportunity.” What set this Side-by-Side apart from the others was full community collaboration that united performers across the entire spectrum of musical development—from elementary school
keiki, to accomplished high school musicians, to professional performers. “It inspired me to be like them, to practice more, and become like a professional,” Noah Swan, Concert String Orchestra violinist. For the first time ever, students from HYS’s entrylevel classes had the opportunity to participate in a Side-by-Side. Many musicians start their journey by learning to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” on the recorder, violin, or ʻukulele, but many could never have imagined that their introductory music class would take them to the stage, with a professional symphony orchestra. By reimagining Beethoven’s work through a contemporary lens and bringing together performers of all ages, HYS not only celebrates the legendary composer’s contributions to classical music, but demonstrates how his legacy can inspire new forms of musical expression through both intercultural and intergenerational community engagement.