MYSO on BBC Radio Ulster
Listen to the BBC Radio Ulster interview of Linda Edelstein (Executive Director), Carter Simmons (Artistic Director), Margery Deutsch (Music Director), and musician Livia Romanov. They were interviewed by John Toal at the Ulster Hall in Belfast during rehearsal on July 16, prior to their evening performance. Click here to listen. Just fast forward to the 26:06 mark to begin listening to the 6-minute interview. You'll hear the spirit of the tour come through loud and clear with our MYSO speakers. Enjoy!
Margarete and David Harvey Making an Impact
by Ron Oshima For decades, Margarete Harvey has been a source of leadership and support for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO), having served two nine-year terms on the board. She was introduced to MYSO when her daughter Matthea joined MYSO as a flute player in the mid-1980s. Each year, Margarete and her husband David present the Margarete Harvey scholarships, given to MYSO students in their junior or senior year of high school, who started out in our entry-level Progressions* program as third graders and stayed with MYSO. It’s a recognition of the students’ hard work and perseverance in their…
August 13, 2019
Student Composer Looks to the Future with Music and Artificial Intelligence
by Michelle Hoffman Cellist Isabelle Kramar has had “random melodies floating through her head” for as long as she can remember. She was grateful to be a part of the Downey Creation Project this year to help her harness those melodies. A pianist since age four, her compositions have come together through piano, where she says, “all the instruments of the orchestra are available to her.” Her first formal composition, The Infinite Waltz, was premiered by the Metropolitan Symphony this spring. She was awarded first place in the 2019 WSMA Composition Project for the piano solo version of the piece.…
August 13, 2019
Student Makes Conducting Debut
by Ron Oshima At 8:05 pm on Saturday, May 18, sophomore Maliq Veal, guest student conductor, strode to the podium to take his bow before leading the Wind Ensemble through Caesar Giovannini’s Fanfare 2000. Maliq was then the principal trombonist of the Wind Ensemble and a trombonist in the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. This fall, he’ll be a junior at Ronald Reagan High School and play in our Senior Symphony. He joined MYSO in 2016 as an eighth grader, encouraged by his middle school band director, Michelle Miller. How did this conducting appearance happen? “My mom liked to play classical music…
August 13, 2019
MYSO Tidbits
by Michelle Hoffman Read about all the amazing things our musicians, alumni, and staff are doing! 1999 grad Kevin Bate has been awarded the position of principal cello of the Nashville Symphony. Bate joined the orchestra in 2015 and served as both assistant principal and acting principal cello previously. 2013 grad Meghan Murphy is one of 41 national recipients of a Watson Fellowship for a year of independent travel and research. She plans to head to India, Norway, Azerbaijan, Ireland, and Mexico to study and explore musical traditions that incorporate violins and violin-like instruments. 2018 grad Julian Rhee made his…
August 13, 2019
Pathways to Success Raises $190,000!
We are pleased to announce Pathways to Success, our signature fundraising event that showcases our work to nurture, challenge, and inspire young minds through music, grossed over $190,000 to support our financial aid programs, impacting countless young musicians. We owe thanks to many people, ranging from our host committee members and sponsors to our performing students and their parents, our teaching artists, an army of volunteers, and everyone in between. Thank you!
August 13, 2019
Livia Romanov: With This I Bid You FarewellÂ
Another tour, another family, another goodbye. It has been several days since we arrived back to home base at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, but we are still feeling the aftershock of the trip in our hearts, minds, and sleep patterns. When I was 15, I had the opportunity to write to you about the adventures of Argentina and Uruguay, but I was just a kid back then. I didn't fully understand the impact that international trip had on me. But as I sit here, writing to you as a (partially) functioning adult, I can truly express what I experienced.…
July 28, 2019
Alyssa Noseworthy: Love, Loyalty, Friendship
It was with some remorse that we returned to Wisconsin. Though eager to see our families and enjoy the last month of summer vacation, we had had such a remarkable experience in the last ten days. Through Belfast, Limerick, Galway, Wexford, and Dublin, we had embraced another culture and shared our own. To close that chapter in our lives was difficult. If there is one thing that my time in Ireland has taught me about, however, it’s about the importance of the values and morals which we imbue our cultures with. During our tour of Galway, I learned about the…
July 25, 2019
Kyra Levandoski: Final Thoughts
It’s nearly impossible to completely sum this entire trip up in one short article, but there are a few moments that stand out to me. One such example is the last concert on Monday, July 22. Playing for Dublin in the National Concert Hall was a simply amazing opportunity. When we finished the last piece, Rainbow Body, I looked at the rest of the orchestra. We were all full of emotion, some crying, some smiling, but all exhilarated. The energy in the room as the last note faded out was almost overwhelming. After the concert, we had a wonderful experience…
July 24, 2019
Livia Romanov: The Parting Glass
As we woke up Monday morning, we prepared ourselves for our last full day in Ireland. We went down to breakfast and talked with friends; we boarded the bus and talked some more. We were ready for our final adventures. Upon visiting the Glendalough Monastic Ruins, we were greeted by a countless number of sheep. As far as the eye could see, sheep. As far as the ear could hear, sheep. We were then let loose in the ruins, exploring the stone foundations and graves. As I walked around the main circular watchtower that was used to defend the monastery…
July 23, 2019
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