by Letha Dawson
How proud all of us who live in Placer County can
be of the Placer County Youth Orchestra. Standing applause must go to
each and every member for your dedication and your achievement. You are
a talented group of musicians. The Intermediate Orchestra, the Theatre
Orchestra which played Les Misérables at Del Oro High school earlier
this month, and the Symphony Orchestra, all performed Monday night, May
19, 2014, to a high standard and transported the audience with wave upon
wave of musical panoramas of passion, color, and beauty. Marjorie
Hartung, artistic director, invited other organizations to collaborate
with PCYO, as Del Oro High School did, to create additional performance
opportunities for these excellent young musicians.
Two
young boys early in the program with sky-scraper-high confidence
entertained the hundreds of proud parents and friends listening. Ethan
Freedman sang “Little People,” from Les Miserables with the same spunk
and showmanship as when he was on stage at Del Oro High School with a
chorus of little people. Monday night, Ethan stood in his Les Mis
costume of torn rags, alone in front of formally attired musicians.
Tuxedoes didn’t phase Ethan. He belted out his brave determination as
if he were at the barricades.
Wey Wey Chen, in formal attire,
shouldered his instrument and with bravado played from the Violin
Concerto in B Minor, Op. 35, of O. Rieding. The audience understood why
Wey Wey Chen was the Division I winner in the Auburn Symphony’s Young
Artist Competition. Artistic Director, Marjorie Hartung graciously
thanked him after his performance from the podium with a very grown-up
handshake for his outstanding achievement.
The Placer
County Youth Symphony Orchestra then proceeded to fill out the evening
by performing works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, and
Beethoven with skill and heart. Two splendid performances capped the
evening: Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony with the incomparable Marjorie
Hartung conducting and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, with charismatic
Wayland Whitney conducting. What a glorious evening of music.
Review of the PCYO Performance, May 19, 2014, at the Valley Springs Presbyterian Church, Roseville, CA
