2008 Woodie Awards
MYSO Strings Audience Along
Jen Vazquez
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Tempo
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On Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 29, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) performed in the Joliet area. MYSO is composed of 65 musicians from the ages of 11 to 21, focused mostly on high school-aged students. The orchestra is conducted by Lewis' own Dr. Lawrence Sisk, with administrative help by Mrs. Pam Nogal. MYSO has been located in the Joliet area since 1991 when Sisk brought it to Lewis University.
The Oct. 26 performance was at the Bicentennial Park Theater. The theater is shaped like a hexagon, with just barely enough room to accommodate the orchestra. The musicians were dressed in black and white suits or black dresses. The concert lasted approximately an hour and 20 minutes without an intermission.
The Oct. 29 concert was performed at Joliet Junior College. The room was arranged in a semi-circle. Again, a whitewash light was used over the musicians to allow for better reading of the sheet music, while lights were dimmed in the audience. The performance was recorded and is available for sale for $12. The concert lasted approximately an hour and 45 minutes with a short intermission.
Sitting in the audience, it's hard to imagine just what to expect. As you see the musicians file on stage you think, "He's gotta be like 12." And somehow, this affects your idea of what the concert will be like. I had the pleasure of arriving slightly early to the Wednesday concert and was afforded the opportunity to listen to warm-ups. I cannot describe how radically my views changed the second I heard them tune. I have to admit, when it comes to music I am not an afficionado. I don't listen to the radio, I haven't watched MTV or VH1 voluntarily in years, and I don't own a portable music device (no Discman or IPod for me). But what I do love is classical music, it is timeless. Twenty years from now, we'll still be studying Mozart in music classes, but Britney Spears? I think not.
The point is at 8 pm last Wednesday night I was privileged to hear a truly great performance. Once the performers finished tuning, they started straight in on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Concerto in C Major for Flute and Harp." The solo flautist was Lewis University flute instructor Laurel Tempas, who had an affinity to blink in rhythm with the music. A habit, no doubt, picked up while working on her extraordinary breath control. The harp soloist, Jan Remer-Osborn, is a friend of Tempas from their days at Northwestern University. Remer-Osborn has played all over the Chicagoland are, her compositions have been played throughout the U.S., including at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Both of the soloists have incredibly fast hands. There are no winds or percussion in this first piece. The first movement was played wonderfully with clean cuts and the violins stealing the show.
The Oct. 26 performance was at the Bicentennial Park Theater. The theater is shaped like a hexagon, with just barely enough room to accommodate the orchestra. The musicians were dressed in black and white suits or black dresses. The concert lasted approximately an hour and 20 minutes without an intermission.
The Oct. 29 concert was performed at Joliet Junior College. The room was arranged in a semi-circle. Again, a whitewash light was used over the musicians to allow for better reading of the sheet music, while lights were dimmed in the audience. The performance was recorded and is available for sale for $12. The concert lasted approximately an hour and 45 minutes with a short intermission.
Sitting in the audience, it's hard to imagine just what to expect. As you see the musicians file on stage you think, "He's gotta be like 12." And somehow, this affects your idea of what the concert will be like. I had the pleasure of arriving slightly early to the Wednesday concert and was afforded the opportunity to listen to warm-ups. I cannot describe how radically my views changed the second I heard them tune. I have to admit, when it comes to music I am not an afficionado. I don't listen to the radio, I haven't watched MTV or VH1 voluntarily in years, and I don't own a portable music device (no Discman or IPod for me). But what I do love is classical music, it is timeless. Twenty years from now, we'll still be studying Mozart in music classes, but Britney Spears? I think not.
The point is at 8 pm last Wednesday night I was privileged to hear a truly great performance. Once the performers finished tuning, they started straight in on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Concerto in C Major for Flute and Harp." The solo flautist was Lewis University flute instructor Laurel Tempas, who had an affinity to blink in rhythm with the music. A habit, no doubt, picked up while working on her extraordinary breath control. The harp soloist, Jan Remer-Osborn, is a friend of Tempas from their days at Northwestern University. Remer-Osborn has played all over the Chicagoland are, her compositions have been played throughout the U.S., including at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Both of the soloists have incredibly fast hands. There are no winds or percussion in this first piece. The first movement was played wonderfully with clean cuts and the violins stealing the show.
