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The YSO ensemble will be performing at Día de los Niños at Crystal Bridges on Sunday, April 14, at 3pm in the Great Hall. Bring your family out for a fun afternoon and enjoy a wide variety of performances and art activities! We look forward to performing at this event each year. It is a really fun highlight of our spring semester. 
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Our season finale concert will take place on Monday, May 6, 2019, at 7:30pm at the Arkansas Arts Academy, 506 W. Poplar St., Rogers, AR. A tribute to American composers are on the program, among other favorites for young musicians. You won't want to miss this one!  Congratulations to our OPYO Concerto Competition 2019 winners! Aidan Mays, cello, won 1st Place and the opportunity to perform his piece, Cello Concerto No. 1 by Camille Saint-Saens, with the orchestra at the spring concert on May 6. Dana Mays, violin, won 2nd Place, and Vincent Guerrero, viola, won 3rd Place. We are so proud of their hard work and dedication to their music!  We have spots open for several instruments at the intermediate and advanced levels, so if you are interested in taking your playing to the next level, please contact us today! Dan Mays has an exciting spring lineup for our advanced full orchestra (YSO) that includes Dvorak's New World Symphony (Symphony No. 9), Michael Kamen's An American Symphony from the movie Mr. Holland's Opus, Steven Bryant's Dusk, and selections from Phantom of the Opera, among other pieces.
Jerry and Greta Lane are heading up the intermediate ensemble (Presto) with a great mix of classical, modern, and folk pieces that will solidify your musical skills and prepare you to play more advanced music. We welcome all beginner string instruments as well, and have plenty of space to accommodate any beginning players who would like to get their feet wet in playing with a group. Krista Mays has an amazing ability to shape beginning players into ensemble players, developing listening skills as students play different parts that must fit with other parts / instruments. By participating in an extra-curricular youth orchestra like OPYO, students advance at a faster rate on their instrument as they gain valuable experience and self confidence in playing in an ensemble. All students are placed in a level that is perfect for their playing ability. Come join us! Contact us today! Looking for a challenging and enriching musical experience? Come join OPYO! Students ages 8 to 22 are welcome to join OPYO to play in one of our orchestras. We offer beginner and intermediate string orchestras, as well as an advanced full orchestra for strings, winds, brass, and percussion instrumentalists. The advanced group plays college and professional level music.
If you would like to join OPYO, please visit our audition page for information, and then register online. Auditions will be held Monday, January 7, at 6:00pm at Arkansas Arts Academy, 506 W. Poplar, Rogers, AR. Rehearsals resume in the spring with new repertoire on Monday, January 14 at the same time and place. Contact Anne McLaughlin for more information. As the winter storm Diego has decided to spare us this weekend in the Rogers/Bentonville area, we are planning to keep our concert as planned for Saturday, December 8, at 4:00pm at Arkansas Arts Academy. Plus, our beginner musicians will perform at 11:30am at Bradford House Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. The program includes Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Strauss' Emperor Waltz, a few dances, and of course lots of holiday favorites!   We will be accepting new members for the spring semester. Auditions will be held Monday, January 7, 2019. Please click here to register to audition, or contact us for more information. We have a lot of exciting things planned for this coming season that you won’t want to miss! New this year, we are extending our invitation to include college students at our top level ensemble in order to give students in that age range a chance to continue their musical experience. We offer a full orchestra with college and professional level musical selections at our top ensemble (YSO), and beginner (Andante) and intermediate (Presto) string ensembles for those students who are just starting out or are preparing for higher level playing. We invite all members, returning and new, to register by clicking the Register button below. Please plan to audition if you are:
2018-2019 Season Highlights Include:
• Winter and Spring Concerts • Student Recital (solos/small ensembles) • Community Outreach Concert • Performance at Día de los Niños Festival at Crystal Bridges • Concerto Competition • Working with guest artists New Rehearsal Space We will continue rehearsing on Monday evenings @ 6pm starting Sept. 10 at our new rehearsal location, the Arkansas Arts Academy (7-12 Campus), located at 506 W Poplar St., Rogers, AR 72756. We would like to thank AAA for their generosity in hosting OPYO this season, and we look forward to our partnership with them! We can't wait to check out their brand new space. Introducing Our New Conducting Staff OPYO is pleased to announce a new line-up of conducting staff this season. Dan Mays, who conducted the Presto ensemble last season, is moving into the YSO ensemble conducting position, and we look forward to his enthusiasm and expert teaching skills at the top level orchestra. Read Dan's full bio here. We welcome Jerry Lane, assisted by Greta Lane, who will be taking up the baton for the Presto ensemble. The Lanes have retired from the Rogers school district, and remain active in the music scene of Northwest Arkansas. They will bring energy and creative ideas to the Presto ensemble. We also welcome Krista Mays, who will be leading the Andante ensemble this season. She currently teaches orchestra to 6th and 7th graders in the Bentonville School District. Read Krista's full bio here. |