Metropolitan Youth Symphony Community Concert
$13 ($7 student/senior/MYS alumni)
Featuring MYSticks, Hillsboro Chamber Strings, Hillsboro Camerata, and MYSfits.
About Hillsboro Chamber Strings – Metropolitan Youth Symphony
Students in this strings-only group will continue to refine their ensemble skills. Focus will be on developing technical and musical skills specific to playing string instruments in ensemble settings, such as unifying articulation, various bow strokes, rhythmic precision, and aspects of tone production.
About Hillsboro Camerata – Metropolitan Youth Symphony
Camerata is a strings-only, high-intermediate chamber orchestra that plays a wide variety of music, from baroque to contemporary. Players are expected to have strong skills in sight-reading, intonation and rhythm. Camerata performs three concerts a year plus additional outreach performances.
https://playmys.org/ensembles-hillsboro/#hillsborocamerataAbout MYSfits String Ensemble
MYSfits is a self-conducted ensemble made up of string players from Symphony Orchestra. Under the co-direction of composer and multi-instrumentalist Kenji Bunch and MYS Music Director Raúl Gómez-Rojas, this group explores music beyond what has been traditionally considered "classical," from fiddle to funk and everything in between.
Mr. Bunch explains: "Though we often think of classical music as exclusive, the very nature of this tradition is to constantly evolve and absorb new ideas and influences. With MYSfits, I use my experiences as a multi-style musician to help widen our tent and make room for approaches to string playing and music-making previously considered ‘non-classical.’ Through this work, we have the potential to become true musical omnivores and help recalibrate expectations for what the next generation of string players could- or should- be capable of in the 21st Century."
MYSfits members excel in their leadership and community service. In addition to three concert performances each season, the group performs outreach concerts for school children, at benefit concerts and special events. The ensemble often works with world-class guest teaching artists who help coach the group in rehearsals. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma famously heard MYSfits playing in the lobby of the Arlene Schnitzer Hall and decided to sit in to play with them! MYSfits were then invited to join him on-stage to hear his solo recital. MYSfits members are selected based on Symphony Orchestra seating auditions.
About MYSticks Percussion Ensemble
MYSticks is an advanced percussion ensemble for MYS students in Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band. MYSticks explore the vast repertoire for percussion ensemble, with an emphasis on fun, challenging and engaging music by living composers. MYSticks allows our percussion students to have a very important outlet for making music front-and-center, in addition to orchestral and band repertoire. Students will also work with guest professional percussionists from Portland and beyond.
https://playmys.org/ensembles-portland/#mysticks