Concert Schedule.
Mandatory Concerts.
1.
Jan 23, 2009
Saturday
5pm Concert
Irvine Barclay Theater
2.
Mar 13, 2010
Saturday
5pm Concert
Irvine Barclay Theater
3.
May 29, 2010
Saturday
5pm Concert
Irvine Barclay Theater
All concerts are at 5pm.
All concerts are mandatory.
IYJA Schedule: dress rehearsal 10am-12pm at Irvine Barclay Theater.
IYCA Schedule: dress rehearsal 12:30pm-3pm at Irvine Barclay Theater.
Both orchestras must meet at Barclay backstage at 3:30pm.
March 13, 2010
Concert Speech
Welcome, welcome.
If we’re all seated, let me go ahead and start. I’ve got a speech here ready to go so I promise it won’t be boring! Because I’ve got a lot to say, give me about ten minutes, all before we start tuning. Tonight, I will be your concert program!
For those who don’t know me, I’m Albert Wu, and I play the violin [hold up violin and viola, and I run this orchestra. Tonight, I’m going to do what I should have done last concert: host and MC this entire concert so it becomes a truly memorable experience. Think of the Academy Awards, except I won’t sing. Instead, I’m also going to play violin, with my students, and you’ll see me playing and speaking between each piece. I will do what a boring concert program often fails to do and tell you more about the performers, why they’re performing the works tonight, and even what instruments they are playing on. Every performer is unique, so you’ll hear a colorful introduction for each person.
So. First and foremost, let me personally thank you all for coming to the Barclay. I absolutely love this hall. And you will too, when we start. When I was growing up, I must have performed here a few dozen times and always thought how awesome it would be to always play here. And so here we are!
The Barclay Theater is absolutely the perfect place to make music -- for the musicians on stage, and for you all out there. To enjoy music the way it should be enjoyed is to be in a good concert hall. So yes, I’m glad everyone came today. So whether you are here because I invited you (or perhaps the soloists did), welcome!
Now, this last week or so, I sent out a ton of emails and invited principals and teachers to hear all the soloists performing tonight. Those who are here, I welcome you and thank you for coming to hear your students. Let me tell you, my high school teacher at UNI high never came to any of my solo concerts outside of school so yeah, I really want to point out this type of appreciation now for everyone. So, if you don’t mind, I want to talk to you afterwards, musician to musician, just to say hi.
Now, for the parents and families who are all here, I want to thank you for coming. And not just for coming, and not just for the lessons and for driving around to this rehearsal and to that lesson and to that concert, but for your vision, hard work, and yes, struggles with your kids. Music is like sports, and I think all that the parents here understand that a great athlete and musician must begin training at a young age, learn what devotion is all about, and overcome obstacles. There’s no other way to be great.
Those parents tonight who are here to watch their kids play solos – First, thank you for the ticket sales. I really appreciate it and want to say that a hall of people makes all the difference on stage. Second, all your kids have played great under pressure for the last eight rehearsals. You are probably full of mixed emotions right now, like me: nervous, anxious, critical, yet hopeful and confident. It’s how I’m sure most actors felt at the Oscars, or how the seniors feel each year around March! Relax. Trust the fine work our two conductors have done in the last eight rehearsals and enjoy yourself. Just earlier today, we worked on everything with them, from how to bow, shake hands after you finish. It’s called stage presence and it is learnable. Confidence is not something I believe you are born with: you work at it. You find it, and once you do, you are on your way to being above average. The professionals who make it look easy on stage have rehearsed and visualized every aspect of their performance a million times over. And because we are a young artist orchestra, this is where we teach to the students in finding their confidence as an artist. I feel these are the little things so neglected in many schools, youth, and honors orchestras.
My parents are here tonight, as well as my old violin teacher for eight years, and if weren’t for their vision, their drive, their sacrifice, I’d have turned out pretty average.
The Timeline.
Now, those who were at the last concert on Jan 29th didn’t really have a chance to hear me speak much. And the reason for that simple: I simply hate giving speeches which bore the audience to death. Let’s hope mine is long yet interesting!
Today, I want to treat this more like a concert where everyone understands why things are the way they are. I’ll talk about the number of concerts left this year, our conductors, the musicians, but most importantly, the 11 soloists and the 10 pieces, why we picked them, how we picked them, and what IYJA and IYCA have done this year and next year. Because there are many people here new to our concerts, it’s important that I explain how we do things.
So, let’s start with the timeline. I’m obsessed with 3 things: the past, the present (today’s concert), and the future. This season, we have 3 concerts: to be precise, 3 concerts at the Barclay Theater. We have about 20 small ones throughout the year, from political fundraisers for Beth Krom here in Irvine to charity events for Pulitzer Winning authors in Newport Beach. I’m a big fan of performing everywhere and anywhere because I simply think most musicians do not perform enough. These are the years to learn and refine.
Now, if you were here in January, we had a concert here on Jan 29th, our 2nd concert today on march 13th, and our final one May 29th. Evenly spaced out, I wanted to have at least 8 rehearsals for each concert so there was time to learn and fix things. Rushing through music and rehearsals is often done by professionals, but for me, it’s never enjoyable. It’s not music, and there’s no dialogue.
Now. In our first concert, those who were here may remember hearing two piano soloists, one played our conductor, Dean Anderson, after I begged him to, and three film scores, including one by an old friend of mine. In this concert, you’ll get to hear many many more soloists, and more film scores, this time by the great Howard Shore who wrote music for the Oscar winning film Lord of the Rings. The piece is only five mins long, and I programmed it personally thinking it’s very important to expose the students to film music as I don’t see this enough in their musical diet.
Now, as I said before, there is something you should be surprised about. You’re going to hear 11 soloists tonight, with a very short intermission. Why so many soloists? My vision for IYJA and IYCA five years ago was not to create another youth orchestra but one which trained students to be young artists. This meant being a soloist. Being under the pressure. Having to play at a high level. For me, pass-able is average. And the reason is simple: It isn’t easy being an artist. Yes you need confidence, but you also need something called EXPERIENCE. In the real world, it’s what gives a resume the “wow” factor. For musicians, experience controls nerves.
I remember 2 years ago, when the orchestra went on its tour to Korea and China, the compliments I got. It was for two things. One. For picking film music. Back then, I myself wanted to badly play John Williams’ Schindler’s List and so I did! And two, for programming a large number of soloists, rotating them for each program. I felt it would create an exciting program. In the ten joint concerts we did in China and Korea, I believe IYCA truly stood out by presenting a diverse program with many soloists. I believe since 2008, the conductors there now have changed their programming strategies because of our’s.
So to put it simply: In the IYJA and IYCA family, anyone can play a solo. Any age, any instrument. It is the most important founding principal for me in creating this orchestra, and it is for me the big big distinction between IYCA and every other youth orchestra. For those parents here, most youth orchestras feature one competition a year and one winner as the soloist. For all those who auditioned but didn’t win, too bad. There are no second chances. It is reality I know. But, over time, those who never win lose interest and worse of all, lose their confidence and interest in music. I don’t subscribe to that philosophy in these changing times because I believe in fighting the apathy in our students at school and at home.
So, in 2010, I decided to make everyone interested “audition” for a solo spot. You play for me and either of the two conductors. This is fair. No longer do I or any of our conductors push students to perform a solo. The philosophy is now: Let’s hear you play. Audition for us. If you’re good, then you play. If you’re not, try again next concert. For tonight, some were chosen, while others were not, no different than real life competitions or college admissions or job searches. We picked 11 for you tonight, and we hope you enjoy them. If you looked at your tickets earlier tonight, you may have noticed that tonight is the EMERGING ARTISTS SERIES. I hope you are impressed.
Going back in time a bit, for eight rehearsals, my role was to talk to parents, make calls, send emails, reply to texts about absences, and of course, to pass on what I know. The list is longer, but I don’t want to bore you with my job. To teach from what I know is to teach tradition, and classical music is a wonderful European tradition. I’ll get to Europe a bit later in the program. For now, I will take my seat. But before I do, I want to introduce our first soloist and piece.
I’m sure most of you know or have noticed in your programs that there are two orchestras performing today. The IYJA orchestra performs first. This is our younger orchestra which meets every Saturday at 10-12. Today, we feature six soloists with IYJA. Some of them have performed solos with us in the past, while for some, it is their very first time to solo. We have nine violin soloists, one violist, and one alto saxophone. We’re missing only 1 or 2 players due to illness and the All State Orchestra this weekend, so let’s get started.
One more quick thank you before we start, I’d like to thank violin maker Howard Needham for his recent donation to IYCA. In Jan 2010, Mr. Needham donated two instruments he made to IYCA for use by members of the orchestra. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and today, we will hear both the violin performed by violinist Gloria Park. Mr. Needham is a violinmaker based in Washington DC and just sent me an email from Spain where he is selling his newest made violins. IYCA is proud to name this donation the Needham Foundation and plans to increase the collection many times over for our members.
Let’s begin with IYJA.
IYJA.
From 10-12 every Saturday, IYJA rehearses. It is a string orchestra, although this year, we have one flutist joining us in the first violins. Music we choose are all string orchestra works. The big difference between IYJA and other orchestras is that we focus on the Baroque repertoire. This is where I think many orchestras fail to realize where truly great music lies. Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann. I think they should be performed all the time.
The important thing for everyone to remember about IYJA is that there are a number of students here who are in both IYJA and IYCA. Meaning, from 10-3 every Saturday, these students hang out with me and work on music. We take breaks of course, and I’m constantly reminded of how serious everyone can be.
Music that IYJA performs often overlaps with IYCA. This is not an accident. The purpose of IYJA is to prepare the students for much more difficult works. Some have asked me before why we perform the same repertoire so much. Here’s why. One. Great music should be played over and over again. Period. Two. There is much to learn from the great pieces. Whether you are a student or a professional, playing the great Baroque works is incredibly enjoyable, especially with musicians who want to be there. Three. I truly believe that one grows with a piece, and in performing it, you get comfortable with a piece to the point where it is truly “mastered.”
IYJA is conducted by Dr. Nick Yee. A violist with the Pacific Symphony and recent graduate of USC where he got his doctorate, Nick Yee is probably the most intense, serious, devoted, and experienced musician I know. The thing about him you all must hear is that not every musician or adult wants to share what they know with others. Nick does. Thinking ahead and always careful, he too shares my vision and musical philosophy in exposing the right pieces at the right times for the young musicians. A few days ago, we prepared pieces for the next IYJA concert in May and passed it out earlier today at the dress rehearsal. He is serious, demanding, and a no nonsense musician. Everything is crystal clear in his mind, and if we are to judge on results, then I think Nick does a great job with IYJA. This is the part which gives me peace of mind.
So before we start tuning, please turn off your cellphones and let me introduce our first soloist and our first piece tonight. I hope my speech has been interesting thus far!
Our first soloist is Annie Chang.
Annie Chang.
Annie has been in IYJA for two years now.
There are 6 things you need to know about her.
One. I forgot her name on the last program. Completely my fault and oversight: Sorry but it’s definitely on this one!
Two. She goes to Eastshore, and her teacher, Mrs. Rhoades, is here after I sent emails to their principal. Thanks for coming!
Three. Her private violin teacher is also here, Ms. Jinah Chung, an old friend of mine, as well as her family.
Four. This is her first solo with IYJA in two years. Exciting for her I’m sure!
Five. This is an image that I still remember about her: Last year, she had a soccer game and couldn’t perform with us at Disneyland. So I saved tickets for her and she came around 6 and was so happy there were free tickets waiting for her at the entrance.
Six. The piece she’s playing tonight is a piece every violinist learns when they are young. I learned it as well. However, it is seldom ever played with full orchestra. So, in many ways, this is a premiere here in Irvine!
Now, regarding the Vivaldi Violin Concerto which Annie’s will now play.
Annie picked this piece herself, and I’m glad to hear this piece performed with string orchestra finally. Ladies and gentleman, let’s give it up for Annie Chang!
Alvin La.
Violist Alvin La. Huge improvements in this violist in only his 2nd year with our orchestra. Here’s some things you must know about Alvin.
One. This is Alvin’s first solo performance. Correction. This is Alvin’s first solo in the Barclay. The first time he played the Telemann Viola Concerto was for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi back in November 2009.
Two. Alvin attends Pioneer middle school.
Three. Away from the viola, water polo is a huge part of Alvin’s life. Total commitment. Follows the rules. Tournaments take up entire weekends.
Four. Alvin has 2 siblings and the interesting thing is that they all play different instruments: younger sister on violin, younger brother on cello. I’m sure it was not an accident! One day, I want them all playing together much in the same way I grew up playing duets with my brother everywhere and anywhere.
Five. Alvin spends his Saturday’s immersed in music. He is a member of both IYJA and IYCA, rehearsing from ten am to three. One of the few members truly devoted to music. I’m pretty sure his parents know by now he likes playing the viola!
Six. Alvin will be attending Beckman High next year.
Seven. Alvin is one of the few people, adults or kids, who is constantly smiling at his lessons. I think he just loves life, because I have no theories on why someone smiles unless they’re happy! I always ask him at his lessons “dude, why are you in such a great mood?”
The Telemann Viola Concerto is regarded as the most famous, most tuneful, popular viola concerto ever written. I love playing it myself. Every violist learns it, but few ever perform it. In fact, most violists seldom perform solo concerti. It is performed and recorded much more so in Europe. In the last 5 yrs, IYJA and IYCA has performed this concerto many times over, and like the Bach Double or Bach A minor, has become one of our signature pieces.
Let’s all welcome Alvin to the stage in the Telemann Viola Concerto!
Jennifer Lee
The great Jennifer Lee. Before she coms out, I have a lot to say about her!
One. This is Jennifer’s first solo performance at the Barclay. In 2009, Jennifer joined IYJA and performed the Bach Double Concerto with me which I still remember perfectly. Today’s solo is Jennifer’s first solo.
Two. The violin Jennifer will be performing on tonight is on loan to her from the IYCA Instrument Collection. It’s a German violin made around the first World War. Hope you all like the sound!
Three. Jennifer is the tallest 6th grader I know. I think she’s exactly my height now. And she reminded me yesterday she’s taller than her mom again.
Four. Jennifer really likes music and playing the violin. I didn’t know until yesterday that her mom and her both want her to be a violinist when she grows up.
Five. Jennifer had a look of terror when I told her a few days ago I had already invited her school principal to attend. I told her there was nothing to worry about.
Six. Jennifer has only played the violin for 1 and a half years. Yup, that’s right. And that’s total. For some reason, I feel like I’ve already known her for 3 or 4 years! And as shy as she is, she’s always ready and wants to do a solo everytime I ask her to. She’s tougher than she thinks. This is good character development and I hope she continues setting such goals. No question she is climbing up in her skill level.
Seven. She wants to play with the older orchestra really really badly. I think it’s a great thing!
The Vivaldi Concerto op.3 no.3 is for me one of Vivaldi’s best violin concerto away from the 4 Seasons. It’s a piece we have performed since we began this orchestra 5 years ago. It’s a work few orchestras perform. In 2008, we performed this work with another soloist in China, but Jennifer’s solo tonight is the 3rd movement of this work, completely new to IYJA or IYCA. I hope you enjoy it! Let’s welcome Jennifer Lee to the stage!
Gloria Park
Young Gloria Park.
So this is what I know and think and remember about Gloria Park.
One. Gloria is now 9 years old, one of the youngest members and soloists in both orchestras and today’s concert. I believe I first met her at age 6.
Two. She has obsession with washing her hands in Bath and Body Works before every lesson. I think she loves the smell. She’ll wash each hand with a different flavor, and then test me to see if I can smell the difference.
Three. She has the energy of about 3 adults packed into a small child!
Four. Gloria wants to be a violinist when she grows up.
Five. In 2008, Gloria performed as soloist in Korea. You should have seen her dress. It was pretty awesome. She was a soloist in both concerts there and I’ll never forget what those concerts meant to her mom backstage. Most of you in the audience or on stage never see what I see backstage right before a concert starts. It’s like how a director or filmmaker sees things before an actual picture is made. In 2008, seeing this strong bond and connection between mom, daughter, and music inspired me and reinforced my purpose as a musician and orchestra director.
Six. Gloria’s ability to learn new music is incredibly fast. I think it stems from true enjoyment of music. How else did Mozart write great music?
Seven. When Gloria sits in IYJA, her feet doesn’t touch the ground yet!
Gloria picked Winter from the 4 Seasons herself. She must have heard this piece in rehearsals and in concerts a million times during our 08 tour. For those who do not know about the Four Seasons, it is actually a musical story. Vivaldi wrote music to a poem in Italian which talks about the different seasons. In Winter, Vivaldi uses music to paint a visual picture of winter. Shivering cold is done with trills, and the wind, snow depicted by really fast violin solos. I want you to use your imagination and figure out the rest.
Let’s welcome Gloria Park to the stage!
Unji Lee.
Her name is pronounced UN-gee, not eun-jee as I say it, though she prefers the later. I call her Bria, and tonight,
One. She has probably the loudest voice for a kid. In a bus full of people, her voice projects like no other!
Two. I’ve known her since she was 5 years old.
Three. She picked her own solo piece tonight. She chose Winter from the four seasons because it’s was “her dad’s favorite piece on the 2008 Tour.” Nice choice!
Four. Unji has an amazing memory and admits she “remembers all the unimportant stuff.”
Six. Unji hates to make her bed.
Seven. She is the one half of the Lee duo. Her brother is Inje Lee, who also performs today with IYCA.
Eight. Unji has one of the fastest thumbs when it comes to text messaging. Not the fastest, but one of the fastest.
Nine. She used to have trouble saying “r’s” until recently. The words burger and booger used to sound very similar. Yeah, we go way back. Sorry for that story!
Ten. In 2008, she played her first ever solo in Korea and China with her brother. She’s performed in Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, and on the Great Wall. It was her first exposure to international politics and concerts.
So, that’s a few things you should know about her. A quick note on Winter.
The 2nd movement of Winter is for me a very very romantic work. Some will argue with me and say Baroque music should be this and that. I interpret music based on how I feel when I hear it and when I play it. In the 2nd movement, Vivaldi is painting a picture of raindrops. How does he do that? Watch the orchestra. They’ll be plucking carefully, each person a raindrop falling. For me, Vivaldi is telling a story, and in this movement, the translation from Italian is this: “to spend days by the fireside in quiet content while hundreds are soaked by rain outside.” It’s genius.
I give you Winter from the Four Seasons, movement two, with Unji Lee and IYJA!
Kevin Kerr.
I call him the great Kevin Kerr, and there are some reasons for this. Here they are.
One. The man can fix anything in my house and make it run better and faster.
Two. He’s not playing on his violin today but a violin on loan to him from IYCA.
Three. I’ve known him since he was in 3rd grade.
Four. He’s taller than me these days.
Five. He owns six violins at home.
Six. He’s using a violin on loan to him today from IYCA’s Instrument Collection.
Seven. Kevin was a member of the 2008 Tour in Korea and China.
Eight. Kevin has been in both IYJA and IYCA the past 5 years. Meaning, every Saturday, he puts in 5 and a half hours into music. Meaning, he’s one of the original members.
Nine. Kevin comes to my house so often he actually remembers where I store things in my house. The guy’s memory is impeccable!
Today, Kevin brings his personality into the last movement of Winter. Earlier today, I learned we have a week of Winter left, so let’s try and imagine what Vivaldi saw. Here we go. In the last movement, Vivaldi writes music about ice, walking slowly for fear of falling, spinning, sliding, about ice breaking, and about the winds. He uses scales, fast fast notes again, and a musical conversation between soloist and orchestra to do all this. Again, use your imagination and listen to the piece with these images in mind.
I give you Kevin Kerr!!!!
IYCA.
On stage is IYCA. Those who want to know what we’ve done in the past, all you have to do is check the website. I’m sure you’ll be wowed. We’ve done a lot. I’d like to brag more, but I want this concert to be about the orchestra and soloists.
My life with IYCA is an interesting one. I began this orchestra because five years ago, I wanted to start an orchestra that actually had a real purpose in the world. When I saw what happened with Hurricane Katrina, I told my friend Mischa we should do something, a charity concert at the very least. Why not? It was a great excuse to perform with our students. We did, and from there, this musical journey has grown into international tours to performances for Senator John Edwards, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and soon, in two months, Vice President Joe Biden in Los Angeles.
IYCA does what other orchestras do not do: feature many many soloists. Remember the name: Irvine Young Concert Artists. You will not find the words “youth orchestra” or “youth symphony” anywhere in our name. I respect the other orchestras, but I’m interested in creating young artists. So what’s the vision? To keep it simple, there are two.
One. Give students opportunities to perform in unique events. For example, many of you may not know this, but in May 2010, IYCA has been invited to perform for Vice President Joe Biden in Beverly Hills. Private reception for a very big event where Mr. Biden is host to a Middle East Afghanistan Pakistan peace talks. Lots of politics, I know.
Two. Give students the opportunity to perform solo concerti. The pressure, preparation in becoming an artist is often psychological, and so IYCA offers what I think is the most valuable teaching tool in life: EXPERIENCE. No orchestra I know allows students to play solos again and again as we do. This is how we are different.
I’ve poured my life, ideas, and imagination into IYCA in every way possible to make it different than the other orchestras. And not just to be different, but to offer what I think is missing elsewhere. IYCA’s focus is repertoire pre-Beethoven. I think the classical composers such as Mozart and Haydn are so neglected by schools and youth orchestras today. And where are the soloists? I grew up with many solo opportunities, but what about everyone else? This is orchestra is about everyone else, about equality, and about opportunity. It’s one of the big lessons I learned when I spoke with conductors and musicians in Korea and China 2 years ago when I noticed a pattern: they all wanted to come here to study and to work. It made me reflect on my past failures, successes and solidy my vision for the students when it comes to music.
In a nutshell, IYCA is like IYJA. Everyone can and should play a solo. In 2010, we auditioned everyone who wanted to solo. Tonight, we picked these soloists.
I’ll let Dean Anderson speak at the end of this concert, so let me introduce our first soloist and our first work tonight, Mr. Eddie Shim and the Haydn Trumpet Concerto.
Eddie Shim.
One. He plays the alto saxophone. And he’s very very good! I’d like to hear him play jazz myself! I’m a big jazz lover.
Two. He’s playing a concerto written for the trumpet. Meaning, everything he’s playing tonight has been transcribed. The alto sax was invented in 1841, over a hundred years after Haydn’s trumpet concerto was written.
Three. He’s in a jazz ensemble at Northwood and asked me several times in Dec 2009 to help him find charity events for them to perform at.
Four. For those who are not musicians, Eddie has to transpose everything we play in orchestra. This isn’t easy, even when he is playing the French horn parts. Remember, the alto saxophone was invented in 1841.
Five. Eddie is playing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto, a piece which we played on tour back in 2008.
Six. I love hearing the sound of the alto saxophone with orchestra.
It’s rare to hear alto saxophone playing Haydn or any classical composer. This piece fits the alto sax so perfectly. I hope you all enjoy it. Let’s welcome Eddie Shim on stage!
Inje Lee.
Also known as Eliot, tenth grader Inje Lee is probably one of the few original members in this orchestra from when we first started. I feel like I’ve known this guy forever. He’s like my right hand man, my vice president, my reliable concertmaster. I thank his parents for their support in this orchestra five years ago, for the tour, and for nurturing his artistic abilities which will surely make him different than other students. In the past 2 years, Inje has definitely grown to be quite a violinist and leader. A few things you should known about Inje:
One. I’ve known him since he was 8 years old. He’s 15 now.
Two. He is concertmaster at his school, Capo Valley High.
Three. In 2005, Inje performed with IYCA when they performed on Fox TV. Mischa Lakirovich was the conductor back then and that Christmas Special was broadcast to 120 million people on NFL at Fox.
Four. He’s performed on KUCI, for Senator John Edwards, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Irvine Mayor Beth Krom, Former Bill Clinton Advisor Arnold Rachlis, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Mission Viejo Mayor McLean, as well as UCI Law Professor and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky at his home. My point? He’s done probably every important fundraiser and charity event IYCA’s been invited to the last 5 years.
Five. When we play quartets, he often wants to play violin two rather than violin one. He is humble when it comes to the violin, which is a quality not every young musician or adult shares in life. I admire this.
Six. In 2008, Inje was soloist throughout China and Korea. However, the highlight for me was when Inje was soloist in Korea. IYCA was invited to perform there by our Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang in what was the kickoff celebration for the Irvine-Seoul Friendship City. For those who were there and remember it, that was a great tour because it was a true cultural exchange. The concert and reception: just memorable. Still have the videos and professional photos. To date, It was a fully sponsored free trip for IYCA to Korea, and I believe it is still the first and only time any youth orchestra from Orange County has performed in Korea. A true honor. My first time there. I can’t believe that was two years ago already.
Seven. He’s wearing a good luck bracelet given to him by his Capo Valley principal just three days ago for this concert. Go Cougars!
Tonight, he performs the third movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, the same work which Itzhak Perlman played at age 13 for the Ed Sullivan Show.It’s considered the most perfect concerto ever written, difficult to play, a favorite of mine. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Inje Lee.
Christine Lee.
Violinist, Concertmaster Christine Lee is going to be a future star. When I first met Christine Lee, I was a lot taller than her. Recently, I’ve noticed that’s no longer the truth! Many things I want to say about her.
One. Christine is concertmaster everywhere. She’s one of the concertmasters here and also at her middle school, and in previous years, for IYJA and All southern. Competitive girl. Hard working. Focused. Old fashioned. And easy to talk to. Always thinking ahead. Ambitious. And she has results to show for it !
Two. She’s one of the original members of IYCA. Meaning, she’s never missed a rehearsal I can remember. Perfect attendance and devotion are rare in this generation where everyone can have so much to do.
Three. She picked her own solo today.
Four. The Viotti violin concerto is one of the seldom performed pieces and I’ve never heard it performed in Orange County since I was little. We had to special order this music because it is so rare.
Five. If I remember correctly, Christine wants to be a violinist when she grows up. And she hates the politics involved in music. I will help her understand how the world works.
Six. Christine has performed in almost every IYCA event and concert since the orchestra was born 5 years ago.
This is the first time IYCA will perform the Viotti Concerto.
Let’s welcome Christine Lee to the stage!
Spring.
Spring arrives a week from today. It’s daylight savings tomorrow and it’s suppose to be eighty five on Monday and Tuesday. I feel like Al Roker giving you the weather but I’m now introducing a work which talks about Spring and rebirth and life and energy. Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons.
Considered probably 1 of the most famous works ever written, Spring from the four seasons is again a musical story. Vivaldi wrote music to capture the meaning of an Italian poem. He talks about joy, birds flying around, the rivers, thunder, lightning. In this piece, the solo violin is often used to depict birds flying around. I first played this piece when I was a junior at UNI high for the graduation ceremony and I’ll never forget the response. It is an energetic piece, and that is one of the reasons it is so famous.
Now, our next soloists are both named Chris. This is unusual and I did not plan it this way on purpose!
We have Chris Sun and Chris Tsao. They both are 8th graders, they both attend Sierra Vista Middle School, they both play the violin, and they’re both in IYCA. Tonight, they both play Spring from the 4 Seasons.
Before we welcome Chris Sun to the stage, let me tell you important things about him. Here, you’ll see the differences.
Chris Sun.
Christopher Roy Sun. Also known as the “flare of life,” (that’s his email) Chris Sun is an 8th grader at Sierra Vista as I said before. The 3rd of 4 siblings, here are things you must know about Chris Sun.
One. He is an accomplished violinist and pianist. He has garnered many prizes in the SYMF piano competitions in the past and it is my hope we hear him on piano at the next concert!
Two. This is Chris Sun’s first year in IYCA.
Three. He is short but he is indeed in 8th grade. And yes, he’s using a full size violin!
Four. Today is Chris Sun’s first solo with IYCA.
Five. Chris is a very accomplished athelete.
Six. I’ve only known Chris for only a bit over a year but it feels like I’ve known him for many many years.
Let’s welcome him to the stage in Spring from the 4 Seasons.
Chris Tsao.
Now, for the great Chris Tsao.
One. Chris Tsao has played a lot of solos in 2010. He’s a busy man. On Monday this week, with his orchestra and Henry Miller conducting, he played the first movement of Spring. In December 2009, he was soloist in Handel’s Concerto Grosso with the All Southern Orchestra. And tonight, in the 3rd movement of Spring.
Two. Chris Tsao is also a pianist. It’s rumored he’ll perform Bach’s Piano Concerto next concert.
Three. He has a younger brother, in IYJA, by the name of Max Tsao who is also rumored to play a solo next concert.
Four. In 2008, Chris Tsao performed the Bach Double concerto with me throughout China. Every Bach Double I play with my students is memorable. In 2008, Chris traveled with IYCA to Korea and China, his first international exposure.
Five. Chris has played in numerous charity and political fundraisers. Most recently, for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Paris Symphony.
Paris has special meaning to me. I’ve been there several times, but have never performed there. All that will change this summer in 2010 as IYCA will perform there. Now, this is pretty cool because I have a whole bunch of places I must perform at. And I want to do this with my students.
Today, we play the Paris Symphony for this very reason. Because I would like to play a piece written in Paris here in Irvine and in Paris in June 2010.
I’ll talk about the tour a bit later. For now, let’s all enjoy the Paris Symphony by Mozart.
Howard Shore.
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s a truly great work on film and let’s not forget the great music that came with it. Howard Shore is brilliant at what he does. Tonight, we play excerpts from the film score and as I said before, film music is truly exciting for me so let’s enjoy some Howard Shore as our final work tonight.
Next rehearsal.
We will perform new works by Venado Middle School teacher Brendan McBrien and Ann Schmid. Thanks Ann, for your patience. Too much music, so little time. But your music will come alive next week.
May 2010 Concert.
The last concert is on May 29th and it’s our last concert all season. Please come. Everyone must come. For me, it’ll be the most emotional concert all year. For the first time, I’ll be saying goodbye to many many seniors, some that I’ve known for over 10 years. That I call history.
The final concert will be powerful. We will have many seniors featured as soloists in their farewell concert with us. It will also be the last prep concert for the Eurpoean tour. Now, earlier I said I’ll talk about it. Here goes.
One. When you leave today, there will be a pile of itineraries for you to take home. Take one. I hope that we can travel together this summer.
Two. IYCA is still heavily in debt from the last tour. In the next 3 months, I will call every parent in the orchestra in my plan to fundraise for our the last tour and this European Tour. We are a nonprofit orchestra and need your help. Those who went on tour understand how important it is, and I tell you, time doesn’t come back. What I did in 2008 was a miracle. A fully sponsored Korean tour by our mayor and a 2 week tour of china. 10 concerts, 3 weeks. To put it bluntly, it burnt me out and I had no energy to do a tour in 2009. Sorry. I won’t make that mistake again. You all heard it just now. We’re going. So you’ll know where I am after June 22nd. And yes, I will produce a miracle to make this happen in grand fashion like 2008.
Three. Because the tour is happening so late, look carefully at the deadline. The reason for this is like 2 years ago: flights. Now, 2 years ago, flights to China were sold out over 6 months earlier because of the Olympics. The same problem with airlines is happening to Europe so bottom line? Deposits are due in a week. Read it over tonight and let it sit in your head. We will have a parent meeting next Saturday after rehearsal. I’ll answer all questions. We’re working with Encore Tours, based in Boston, for this. What they can do is amazing. Since Wed, I’ve secured concerts at the embassy, hospitals, foster homes, and I’m hoping we can play for war veterans as well. All of this will be posted online this week, and all updates will be posted online. There were many imperfections from my last tour which I’ve learned from, and you will see a more interesting tour because performing in Europe is so comfortable, easy, and relaxing. Asia is just hot, humid, and crowded but of course great too. I just always had a love affair with Europe!
Now, before we go. I gotta thank Dean for everything. He was sick this last week but still managed to get everything done. Thank you Dean. For the sectional, and for the extra players.
If you wish to know more about IYCA, please visit our website, Irvine young concert artists dot org. There you can see everything we’ve done, who we’ve played for. There will be a lot of updates after tonight. Photos of the members this year need to be updated, as well as tour info for 2010.
Now, the last concert and today’s concert are being recorded by the Barclay.
At the next and last concert, we will have the CD and DVDs for sale in the lobby after the concert.
Reception.
There is a small reception. Those who can stay, let’s all meet in a few minutes outside of the lobby for refreshments. I’d like to thank Unji and Inje’s mom, Gloria park’s mom, and Jennifer Lee’s mom.
Again, thanks for coming today.
It was a great concert. I had lots of fun.
Written by Albert Wu
(Mar 2010)
2009-10 Optional Concerts and Events.
Oct 9, 2009 - Animal Acres Annual Fundraiser
Oct 23, 2009 - Trauma Intervention Program Heroes With Heart Concert (5pm)
Nov 22, 2009 - St. Lawrence String Quartet Concert (2pm)
Dec 4, 2009 - Truman Awards (5pm)
Jan 27, 2010 - Planned Parenthood Concert (7pm)
March 27, 2010 - Irvine Chinese School Fundraising Concert (6:30pm)
1. Oct 9, 2009
Anima Acres Annual Fundraiser
(www.animalacres.org)
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens (CSU Long Beach)
Arrival Time: 6pm
Performance Time: 7-9:30pm (background music)
2. Oct 23, 2009
Trauma Intervention Program “Heroes With Heart” Concert
(www.tiporangecounty.org)
Hilton Costa Mesa
3050 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA. 92626
String Quartet only (Dean Anderson, Christine Lee, Peter Tran, Alex Kim)
Arrival Time: 6pm
Performance Time: 6-10pm (background music)
3. Nov 22, 2009
St. Lawrence String Quartet Concert
Quartet in Residence at Stanford University
Samueli Theater (Costa Mesa)
Concert Time: 2pm
IYCA students interested in studying music at Stanford should attend concert.
4. Dec 4, 2009
Truman Awards
Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House (Keynote Speaker)
Irvine Airport Hilton
18800 MacArthur
Irvine CA 92618
Arrival Time: 4:30pm.
Performance Time: 5-7pm (background music)
5. Jan 27, 2010
Planned Parenthood Concert
Westin Hotel
686 Anton Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Arrival Time: TBA
Performance Time: TBA (background music)
6. May 23, 2010
Orange County Chinese American Chamber of Commerce
Scholarship Awards Dinner
Irvine Marriott Hotel
18000 Von Karman Avenue
Irvine CA 92612
Arrival Time: TBA
Performance Time: TBA (background music)
7. Mar 27, 2010
Irvine Chinese School Fundraising Concert
Irvine Marriott Hotel
18000 Von Karman Avenue
Irvine CA 92612
Arrival Time: 6pm
Performance Time: 6:30-7:15pm (background music)
IYCA
2009-2010 Season
Optional Concert Details
Concert No.1
What:
Benefit Concert for Animal Acres Compassionate Cuisine
www.animalacres.org
Where:
Cal State Long Beach
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden Japanese Gardens.
Date:
Friday Oct 9, 2009
Event Time:
7pm to 9:30pm for IYCA members
Call Time:
For String Quartet: 6:30pm
For IYCA Orchestra: 7pm
Please leave early. It’s Friday and there’s traffic on the 405 North.
Cost:
$45.00 at the door.
Free Parking.
Free parking in parking lot 16 across from the garden.
Dress Code:
All Black.
Mandatory:
Yes.
Stands:
You must bring your own stands. Folding stands.
Who’s Invited:
Everyone. 400 tickets have been sold already.
Repertoire:
Concerti, as rehearsed from Oct 3rd rehearsal.
Details:
Student Quartet to play at the entry way...starting at 7:00 as people arrive.
The orchestra plan is for students to arrive at 7:00 and be ready to play between 7:15-7:30 for about 1/2 hr to 45 minutes. We will target our program to start at about 8:00-8:15 and to go about 20-25 minutes.
The students can then pick up and perform until about 9:15-9:30 the latest. I will try to stay as close to this as possible. Please understand we may have slight time changes. I will plan the students to be finished by 9:30 the latest. Please confirm. Thank you. Melissa
Concert No.2
What:
Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) Annual “Heroes With Heart”
www.TIPOrangeCounty.org
Where:
Hilton Costa Mesa
3050 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA. 92626
Date:
Friday Oct 23, 2009
Event Time:
6pm to 10pm for IYCA string quartet
Call Time:
For String Quartet: 6pm
String Quartet only (Dean Anderson, Christine Lee, Peter Tran, Alex Kim)
Cost:
No cost.
Dress Code:
All Black.
Mandatory:
No.
Stands:
You must bring your own stands. Folding stands.
Who’s Invited:
Everyone.
Repertoire:
Mozart, Haydn String Quartets.
Details:
Student Quartet to play at the entry way...starting at 6:00 as people arrive.
All Background music.
Concert No.3
What:
Truman Awards
Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House (Keynote Speaker)
Where:
Irvine Airport Hilton
18800 MacArthur
Irvine CA 92618
Date:
Friday Dec 4, 2009
Event Time:
5pm to 7pm for IYCA orchestra
Call Time:
For all IYCA members: 4:30pm
Cost:
No cost to students or parents.
Dress Code:
All Black.
Mandatory:
No. This concert is optional, for strings and winds.
Stands:
You must bring your own stands. Folding stands.
Who’s Invited:
Everyone.
Repertoire:
Concerti from 2004-2009.
Details:
This is the third time IYCA has been invited to perform by the DPOC (Democratic Party of Orange County) for the Annual Truman Awards. In the first year, IYCA performed for Senator John Edwards. In the second year, for Irvine Councilmember and former Mayor Larry Agran. This year, it is an honor to play for and meet Nancy Pelosi. We will play background music for 2 hours, and anyone who is interested in playing a concerto is welcome. Everything will be performed conductorless.