Transitions in YOBC’s Back Office Staff-Beginning in June, there will be some important changes in YOBC’s administrative staff. Long-time auditions coordinator and office manager, Diana Nolan, will be retiring at the end of June after 18 years at YOBC. Diana has overseen the auditions and enrollment of more than 1000 students who have participated in YOBC, which has doubled its annual membership and more than doubled the number of ensembles since she was first involved in 2000. Stepping into the newly named administrative coordinator role will be Virginia Glatzer, a YOBC alumni parent whose two clarinetists were YOBC members from 2012 to 2017. Virginia has…
YOBC’s Office Manager to Retire at the End of the Season-On July 1, the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County will experience a major shift: After approximately 18 years of service to YOBC, Diana Nolan will retire from her job as…And therein lies the question: What is Diana Nolan’s job? Or perhaps more to the point, what is NOT Diana Nolan’s job? Her official role is office manager, but to the parents, student musicians, and staff of YOBC, she has earned a loftier title. “I call her the Knower of All Things,” says Amy Wilkowski, whose son Ryan is in the Wind Ensemble. Her work includes – but isn’t limited to…
YOBC’s Newest Chamber Group: Trombone Ensemble-Among the many challenges of playing in a small music ensemble, Mitchell Beatch discovered this one right away: “In a bigger group like a band, it’s easier to hide. With an ensemble, you have to know your part.” Beatch, a 7th grader at William Penn Middle School, is part of YOBC’s first-ever trombone ensemble, along with his colleagues, Kettner Hunter, an 8th grader at William Penn Middle School, and Dylan Waddell, an 8th grader at Unami Middle School. Coached by YOBC alumnus Bill Connors, who holds a Master of Music degree in Tuba Performance from the University of Denver, the…
Student Spotlight: Kevyn DeWees-In the first issue of Keeping Tempo, in August 2009, we shone the first Student Spotlight on Kevyn DeWees. When auditions were held that spring for YOBC’s 2009–10 season, we auditioned a number of students for our newest string ensemble, Prima Strings. Kevyn was the first Prima Strings candidate to be accepted for our new junior ensemble. Now, nine years later, Kevyn is graduating and we thought it would be fun to check back with her at the end of her time in YOBC. Kevyn is now a senior at the Academy of the New Church. She is currently a…
Executive Director’s Corner: Things You Might Not Know-Did you know that a raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top, or that 40 percent of McDonalds’ profits come from the sales of Happy Meals? Sometimes what you don’t know about everyday things can surprise you. If you have been involved with YOBC, chances are you know a lot about what we do. But here are five things that might surprise you: YOBC provides students with 70 hours of specialized training in classical music each year. YOBC instructors have years of teaching experience,…
Where in the World Is Erica Cherry?- Those students who have traveled on a YOBC International Tour before, or are going to Spain this summer, already know that being involved in music can take you to great places! This June I am headed on my own musical adventure; I have been selected as one of the 2018 Teaching Artists to teach clarinet at El Sistema, El Salvador for two weeks, as part of the MusAid Teaching Artist Residency. MusAid is a nonprofit “that connects musicians across the globe through educational exchanges designed to inspire individual and community transformations.” Basically, the MusAid team supports socially driven programs around…
Master Classes Fine Tune YOBC Students’ Skills-In March, a dozen YOBC students had the opportunity to perform for two world-class musicians at master classes on their instrument. In a violin master class, David Kim, Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster, gave students tips and routines to build confidence and help overcome nerves, explored how to slow down the tempo to improve muscle memory, and demonstrated tricks for a perfect vibrato. YOBC student performers representing Concertino, Ripieno, Philharmonia, and Symphony Orchestra included: Aneta Sieminski, Anna Kim, Hannah Kim, Brooke Lion, Danielle Gershman, and Christian Teufel. YOBC trombonists attended a class given by Matthew Vaughn, co-principal trombone at the Philadelphia Orchestra.…
Executive Director’s Corner: The Art of Giving-The holiday season is here, and I think I might be in a little trouble. If you are one of those people who is done with your holiday shopping, I am happy for you. But for the rest of us, panic is beginning to set in as we enter the final lap of holiday preparations. After weeks of searching for gifts, I only have a few lackluster items to show for my efforts. My shopping list is still as long as a checkout line in a toy store and I need some serious help with holiday gift-giving. Thankfully, there is…
Jennifer Montone: It All Started with Youth Orchestra-From winning the Paxman Young Horn Player of the Year Award in London at age 19 to receiving the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant at age 29, Jennifer Montone, principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, has a resume filled with accolades. Was there a critical experience or turning point that launched her remarkable career? YOBC members won't be surprised to hear her answer: “What really got me super into music was a youth orchestra,” says Montone. In particular, she remembers having the opportunity to travel at age 13 with her older sister’s youth orchestra to Scotland. “The community aspect was…
Student Spotlight: Ethan Crowell-Ethan Crowell is a sixth grader at Goodnoe Elementary School. When he was three, he went to an arts camp called Burn Brae Day Camp in Dresher, Pennsylvania. At the camp Ethan tried a lot of different things, and decided he loved playing musical instruments such as the “wonderful violin.” At the camp, the violin Ethan used was tiny. “It was adorable,” he says. From then on, he has loved the instrument and has been playing it for eight years so far. Ethan has some older friends who were in YOBC a few years ago, and he heard about the group…