 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 Curtis Hansen, who will be taking up the baton for the Presto ensemble. He hails from Fort Smith School District where he is orchestra director at Northside High School. He will bring energy and creative ideas to the Presto ensemble. Read Curtis' full bio here. 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. The following is a run-down of all the dates and details for the remainder of the rehearsals and concerts. Please note extra rehearsals for YSO along with some location changes (also for YSO only), due to need for piano to rehearse with the pianist.
Students, please please please practice your parts at home so that you are well prepared for rehearsals—your fellow musicians will thank you, and working together you will have an outstanding performance! Monday, April 16: rehearsals as usual at CFN Saturday, April 21: YSO rehearsal — Peter and the Wolf, plus Kahley's and Jacob's concertos in preparation for Crystal Bridges concert Time: 10am-12noon Location: possibly at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), 1 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712 – TO BE CONFIRMED Notes: please bring stands Sunday, April 22: YSO performance at Día de los Niños at Crystal Bridges Students arrive: 11:30 – enter through the main entrance and staff will direct you to the Great Hall Performance begins: 12:00 Address: 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR 72712 Notes: Bring stands. Concert attire (see handbook). Ricardo will be narrating again, this time in English! YSO will perform the 2 concertos and Peter and the Wolf. We are not planning to have this event recorded since these pieces were already recorded at a previous venue. Feel free to spend the afternoon at this wonderful (free!) family event featuring performances by many young talented area performers. Monday, April 23: Andante & Presto will rehearse at CFN. YSO will rehearse at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) with pianist for the Rachmaninov – LOCATION TO BE CONFIRMED Time: 6–8:15pm Address: NWACC, 1 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712 – TO BE CONFIRMED Monday, April 30: All ensembles rehearse as usual at CFN. We are planning to have sectional rehearsals for YSO this day. Monday, May 7: Andante & Presto will rehearse at CFN. YSO will rehearse at NWACC with pianist for the Rachmaninov – LOCATION TO BE CONFIRMED Time: 6–8:15pm Address: NWACC, 1 College Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712 Saturday, May 12: We have two events going on this day: 1) YSO rehearsal with pianist at NWACC from 10am-12noon – LOCATION TO BE CONFIRMED 2) Andante & Presto season finale concert: Location: Waterway at First Christian Church, 4074 SW H St., Bentonville, AR Students please arrive about 10 minutes before you rehearse to unpack and get ready to play: Presto: 2:45-3:15 Andante: 3:15-3:45 Performance begins at 4:00 Notes: Please bring your stands. Concert attire (see handbook). Sunday, May 13: YSO season finale concert Students rehearse: 2:45-3:30pm (please arrive about 10 minutes ahead to unpack and tune) Performance begins: 4:00pm Location: Faulkner Performing Arts Center @ University of Arkansas, 453 N Garland Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701 Notes: Please bring stands. Concert attire. RECORDING: We will plan to record both season finale performances and combine them into one DVD / download for purchase. We will have order information soon. OPYO's YSO ensemble will be performing Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf at a special community outreach concert on Friday, March 30, at 7pm at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale (214 S. Main Street, Springdale). The story will be narrated in Spanish by local actor Ricardo Cardenas, aka "El Gallo," of Grupo d'Teatro Hamlet. Tickets for this event are $5 each, available at their web site: http://www.acozarks.org, or you can purchase them at the box office. Families welcome! We will have activity sheets for the children both in Spanish and in English, helping them match up the instruments with the characters as they are introduced in the story. Our 2018 OPYO Concerto Competition winners, Kahley Mitchell and Jacob Ellgass, will also be performing their pieces with the orchestra as part of this concert.   Welcome back to the spring season of OPYO! Our first rehearsal on Jan. 8 was abuzz with excitement and anticipation. Our awesome conductors have some great pieces picked out for the spring, including Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” and Wager’s “Ride of the Valkyries!” OPYO members, invite your friends to join us as our guest free of charge at any upcoming rehearsal to see if we're a good fit. It's not too late to join this semester.
Lots of exciting things happening this spring! We have something going on every month from now until May. Be sure to check the calendar for details. Sign up for one or both of the upcoming individual events we are hosting: January 27: Concerto Competition All YSO students are eligible to audition. Deadline to sign up to participate is Wednesday, Jan. 24. The format is changing up a bit this year. We are holding CLOSED AUDITIONS, meaning participants will perform their piece in front of the judges in a closed room. So we will be assigning students a specific time to arrive, warm up, and audition, after which time they are free to leave. Winners will be announced after the competition is complete, and all participants and will receive detailed notes from the judges on their performance. Click here for details and to sign up to participate. February 23: Student Recital All OPYO members are encouraged to sign up to play a solo or as part of a small ensemble. Click here for details and sign-up form. Don't forget to invite your family and friends to attend the recital! See you next Monday! ~Anne McLaughlin, OPYO Manager Due to the weather, OPYO rehearsal for tonight is cancelled. Please use this time to practice on your own, however! The conductors will contact you later today via email with specific things to work on. We want to keep moving forward. Let your conductors know if you are missing any music or have any questions. If you did not receive an email from us this morning, please email me, Anne McLaughlin, at youthorchestras@gmail.com so I can update your information. Thank you and stay safe!
Live auditions for all OPYO ensembles will be held Thursday, January 4th at the Center for Non-profits @ St. Mary's. Audition times are first come, first served from 6:00PM-8:00PM. For more information please see the pamphlet below or visit our registration and auditions page. Questions regarding registration, auditions, or the Spring 2018 season should be directed to our Contact Us page.  OPYO is excited to announce our first Student Recital in February!
Friday, February 23, 2018 7:00 PM Center for Non-profits @ St. Mary's Admission is free. OPYO students from all three ensembles - Andante, Presto, and Youth Symphony of the Ozarks - are invited to perform solo, duet, and small ensemble works for their peers. Participants are recognized in the concert program and gain valuable performance experience. To learn more information or to sign up to participate please see our website: http://www.opyo.org/opyo-student-recital.html
Dear OPYO members and parents,
Before we begin our fall 2017 season with our first rehearsal (next Monday, September 11th), I have several announcements to make regarding changes to OPYO staff. It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Ryan Cockerham as OPYO Music Director and conductor of the YSO for the 2017-2018 season. Mr. Cockerham has been a close personal friend of mine for over a decade and I can attest to his caliber as a world-class musician, composer, and educator. After receiving his master’s degree in Music Composition at the Royal College of Music in 2013, Ryan's music has been performed on four continents including North America, Asia, Europe, and South America. Mr. Cockerham is currently Instructor of Theory at NWACC, Instructor of Theory and Recording Arts at Arkansas Arts Academy, and Music Director of the Shadow Ensemble. For more information on Mr. Cockerham and his many accomplishments, or to read his personal address to the OPYO family, please see the buttons below. In addition, I would like to welcome Dan Mays as our Presto conductor for the 2017-2018 season. Mr. Mays is the Orchestra Director for the Bentonville West orchestra programs and a fantastic educator with over nineteen years of experience. The Presto orchestra is in great hands this season! The OPYO staff and Board of Directors would also like to thank Jesse Collett for his six years of service and dedication to the musicians of OPYO. We wish him both luck and fortune as he directs his focus to the ever-expanding Bentonville orchestra program. I hope everyone shares my enthusiasm in welcoming these two wonderful educators as we begin our season on Monday. There are great things in store for OPYO! Thank you, Sandy Nieves Manager, Ozark Philharmonic Youth Orchestras Rehearsals are on Monday evenings for all OPYO Orchestras.
Rehearsal Dates: September 11, 18, 25 October 2, 9, 23, 30 November 6, 13, 27 December rehearsals and concert: TBD Rehearsal Location: Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary's 1200 W. Walnut St. Rogers, AR 72758 Tentative Rehearsal Times: Andante 6:00PM - 7:30PM Presto 6:00PM - 8:00PM Youth Symphonic Orchestra 6:00PM - 8:15PM Please Note: Additional rehearsal dates/times may be added at the request of each ensemble's conductor. |
Upcoming Events:Auditions
for 2018-19 Season: Session #1: Saturday, August 25 10am-12pm Session #2: Monday, August 27 6-8pm at Arkansas Arts Academy 506 W Poplar St. Rogers, AR 72756 |
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