Dear Teachers, The Mercer/Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra is gearing up for another great season, and we’d love to have your students get involved! In its fourth year, the MMSYO is comprised of more than seventy-five students, ages nine to eighteen, representing over thirty schools in Macon, Warner Robins, Perry, and the surrounding areas, and reaching as far as McDonough and Dublin. With students coming from all over, it’s practically like playing in honor band every week! In fact, this year, 24 MMSYO players were selected for District 11 Honor Band, and 12 MMSYO players were selected for All-State Band. In addition to the full orchestra, which is made up of the most advanced players, in the 2010-2011 season the MMSYO formed several ensembles: the string orchestra, for less experienced string players, and chamber ensembles for woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion. These chamber ensembles provide our top players with personalized instruction and difficult repertoire to challenge them outside of a full rehearsal setting. Highlights from the 2010-2011 season’s repertoire included: · Saint-Saens – “Bacchanale” from Samson and Delilah · Dvorak – Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8 · Marquez – Danzon No. 2 · John Williams – Star Wars: The Phantom Menace · Berlioz – “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie Fantastique · Bizet – Carmen Suites Nos. 1 and 2 · Whitacre – October · Vivaldi – “Winter” from The Four Seasons, featuring Macon Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jason Economides · Sibelius – Finlandia · John Hennecken – Movement for Orchestra **World Premiere – Written for MMSYO** · John Barnes Chance – Variations on a Korean Folk Song · Grainger – Irish Tune from County Derry Benefits to MMSYO players include complimentary tickets to Macon Symphony Orchestra concerts, participation in bi-weekly sectional rehearsals coached by professional musicians, and an opportunity to perform in a concert side-by-side with professional orchestra players. This past year our students performed a side-by-side concert with the Warner Robins Air Force Reserve Band; concerts for the Fort Valley Arts Alliance and the community of Reynolds, Georgia; and a concert for the 4th Annual Instrument Petting Zoo at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, not to mention several concerts at Mercer University. Feel free to attend any of our rehearsals to see what we’re all about. The MMSYO full orchestra rehearses every Monday night from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the McCorkle Music Building of Mercer University. The string orchestra rehearses on Monday nights from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Newton Chapel, on the campus of Mercer University. Or, better yet, schedule a recruiting visit before the school year ends! I’ve visited many of your classrooms before and would be happy to come talk to your students about MMSYO. A school visit allows me to answer students’ questions about MMSYO and to gather interested students’ contact information, ensuring they receive audition information. Auditions for the 2011-2012 season will take in mid-August. Beginning July 1, students can sign up for an audition time and access audition materials on our website at www.mmsyo.org. Be sure to encourage your students to print their audition materials early so they have plenty of time to practice! I hope you will encourage your students to audition for the 2011-2012 season of the Mercer/Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or e-mail. For more information about the MMSYO, please visit our website at www.mmsyo.org. Sincerely, Connie Davis General Manager |