The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony (GTCYS) is on tour this month, enjoying a 10-day journey through the Andalusian region of Spain. GTCYS has been invited to perform as part of the International Festival of Music and Dance in Granada on June 21, plus two other performances in Spain.
GTCYS is a program for students ages 8 through 18. The young people who make up the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies are from diverse backgrounds, and Artistic Director Mark Russell Smith says they have talents in many areas besides music. "I think there are six or seven kids in the orchestra who all got 36 on the ACT [college entrance exam]," he says. "I just have a Bachelors Degree, that's all that I have. And so these kids are way smarter than I am and we have to keep that in mind as well."
That said, many of the students in GTCYS have never played music of this level before. Being invited to play at the prestigious International Festival of Music and Dance is quite an honor for any group of musicians. Smith adds that playing in this orchestra teaches students a lot more than how to read music. "There are all these aspects of life and of being a human being and interacting and being a participant in society … you can learn by being in an orchestra," Smith says. "And really for me, the bottom line is spending time with these talented and incredible kids and hopefully bringing the best out of them musically and bringing the best out of them as human beings."
Edina teenager Jack Halverson has been playing bassoon with GTCYS for more than two years. He will be blogging on the Spanish tour, as well as performing. He says being a part of this orchestra is not only a great learning experience, but also a lot of fun. "It's a blast," Halverson says. "You'd think that with such a high-profile conductor it would be really cutthroat and so, like, on point — which it is, but it's also really fun. Everyone that's around you is there because they want to be and because they enjoy what they are doing."
Louisa Byron from Waseca, Minn., is in her final summer with GTCYS. She's been playing violin with the group for four years. One of her favorite pieces on this tour is the Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich. "It feels like really in you're in a wave of music," she says. "It's a wonderful feeling."
The repertoire that GTCYS will feature on its tour will be recorded at Roseville Lutheran Church on Thursday, June 12. Listen for these recordings on Classical MPR during the week of June 16, as GTCYS is on its tour in Spain.
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 (mvts III-IV)
Barber: Violin Concerto (mvt I) with Anna Humphrey, solo
Copland: Appalachian Spring
David Evan Thomas: The Bridge (European premiere)
Y para nuestros amigos de GTCYS, ¡buen viaje!
Follow along with GTCYS tour of Spain on our website the week of June 16 to 20.
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