RCHESTRATING the FUTURE
volume 25 #1 October 2024
Fresh Faces, New Spaces!
SEASON
lot has changed since you last Using two different buildings on A heard from SOGO! At the end of the same day has been a significant last season, our orchestras were so change for us, but so far it seems to
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big that students were almost falling off the stage, so over the summer, we took the leap of faith of adding another orchestra and reassigning our conductors. While the Conservatory Orchestra, our most advanced ensemble, is unchanged, Greg Allison is now conducting the new Philharmonic Orchestra, and Dan Craig is now conducting the Academy Orchestra. We were also very pleased to add Linda Pyle to our conducting staff, and she has taken over the Debut Orchestra. The addition of the Philharmonic Orchestra allows us once again to create margin for growth in each ensemble. As we continue to welcome new younger students to SOGO, many of whom have never played in an orchestra before, we want them to have a smaller, more intimate environment in which to succeed. Entering a Debut Orchestra with nearly 60 students (as was the case last spring) can be overwhelming for a young musician visiting SOGO for the first time. For the past four seasons, we have used Jefferson Middle School for Sunday rehearsals. As the groups grew, however, the only spaces large enough to accommodate them were the cafeteria and the gym, the latter of which is less than ideal for music-making. Starting this year, Academy and Conservatory have moved over to Capital High School, which has a band room large enough to accommodate a full orchestra. Debut, Brass Choir, and Philharmonic are continuing to rehearse at Jefferson.
be working well.
Our stalwart Teaching Artists are now spending most of their time with the Academy and Philharmonic orchestras, with the string TAs also helping in Debut and Conservatory. This significant reduction in TA time for Conservatory has been a goal of mine since I started working for SOGO. I believe the oldest students should be the most self-sufficient, and the Teaching Artists’ time is best spent helping our younger students develop good orchestral playing habits. At SOGO, we strive to create an environment that is collaborative rather than competitive. Keen-eyed audience members will notice students sitting in different places from concert to concert, or sometimes within the same concert. String players need experience sitting in the front, middle, and back of the section, woodwind and brass players need experience playing first, second, third, and fourth parts, and percussionists need to be versatile and play many different percussion instruments. A young musician’s self-worth should NOT be determined by where they sit, so we have our students sit in a variety of places throughout the year. Rehearsals are well underway for our November 3 concert at the Washington Center, and we’ve got lots of great music planned for our 25th anniversary season. Get your tickets now, and I’ll see you soon! Cameron May, Music Director
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