On Thursday, Feb. 28, the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra (YSO) performed for local elementary students in an event called “Symphony Day”.
Since the 1980s, over 6,000 grade schoolers have listened to the YSO perform at the Adler Theater in Davenport. These elementary students come from over 30 schools within a 45 mile radius of the Quad Cities. In order to perform for all of them, Symphony Day consists of three identical concerts throughout the day.
This past year, the concert opened with “The Star Spangled Banner” before moving on to the repertoire. The symphony then performed three pieces: Julius Fucik’s “Der Alte Brummbär”, Carlos Chávez’s “Sinfonía india”, and the movements “Berceuse” and “Finale” from Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird”.
Additionally, YSO annually performs “A Simple Introduction to the Orchestra” by William Craft. It is an informative piece narrated by the conductor that introduces the orchestra to the elementary students. The piece does this by having each section – such as the clarinets, percussion, or violins – play by themselves while the conductor informs the audience of that section’s role.
Grace Almgren, a dedicated musician and student who enjoys participating in YSO, commented on Symphony Day. “The experience of making music with a community of friends isn’t available to share in many other places, so it’s really meaningful to share this on Symphony Day.”
The Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles (QCYSE) consist of four youth orchestras and one youth choir, with YSO as the highest ranking ensemble. Members of the QCSYE include students from 2nd to 12th grade. By participating in the program, these students are able to work with and learn from local professional musicians.
Because YSO is a high level musical ensemble, it is a unique experience for young musicians to participate in. This is evident simply by how far people travel to participate in the youth ensembles, coming from as far as Iowa City.
Through this music program and Symphony Day, elementary students have the opportunity to listen to and be inspired by live classical music. Uma Kasichainula, a junior and YSO member, recounts her first Symphony Day experience.
“I remember seeing YSO when I was in 4th grade, and I was so impressed with their professionalism and skill. With that as an example, I’ve worked at violin and now am able to participate in YSO myself,” said Kasichainula.
Symphony Day is a wonderful time to make classical music and share it with the next generation of musicians. As Almgren says, “Music is powerful. It’s really meaningful to have the opportunity of doing what we love and sharing it with younger students through Symphony Day.”
