It is all happening at the YMF’s 57^th Annual Gala performance on Sun., Jan. 15, 2012, at 5:00 p.m., at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

“When I was asked (by oboist and YMF alumnus David Weiss) if we could play these selections at the Gala I thought – why not the YMF orchestra to debut these pieces!” said John Williams.  “The Gala event is a wonderful way for the public to see what these young people can accomplish.  Overall, it is a high level, technically demanding program.  These young musicians are very capable and will perform it beautifully.”

When asked how he made the selections from the movie scores to be performed, Williams explained “from The Adventures of Tintin, we are performing music that is very swashbuckling, virtuosic and fun! From War Horse, we were interested in the music that opens the film.  In both cases, David and I agreed that these two pieces might be good choices.

“I am pleased to support the YMF, or any such group that helps motivated and accomplished young people advance in their chosen field.  By associating with YMF, these young musicians are given an idea of the avenues to achievement and access to experiences in the career they aspire to enter: playing in an ensemble, working with great teachers, and working with other musicians who are inspiring and motivated,” he concluded.

Two honorees will receive awards at the Gala:  YMF’s Humanitarian Award will be presented to Lawrence N. Field, founder and principal of NSB Associates and long-time YMF board member in recognition for his support of the Los Angeles community and in particular of a young person’s artistic training.   David Weiss, a YMF alumnus celebrating 50 years of involvement with YMF will receive the inaugural Living the Legacy Award, presented to alumni who embody the spirit and vision of YMF.

Reflecting its “Celebrating the YMF Legacy” theme, the concert will additionally offer a varied and exciting repertoire featuring a total of five guest conductors leading the Debut Orchestra’s 70 talented musicians, ages 15-25, and 20-plus local alumni, through classical and contemporary compositions, including:

• Smetana: Dance of the Comedians from The Bartered Bride and Walton’s Galop/Finale from Music of the Children – conducted by Richard Kaufman;
• Beethoven’s Rondo from Piano Concerto #1 with 10-year-old piano soloist Ray Ushikubo and Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man – conducted by Teddy Abrams;
• Ravel’s La Valse – conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; and
• Randy Newman’s Suite from Toy Story – conducted by Joey Newman.
• In addition to the film score excerpts noted above, John Williams will close the Gala concert with a performance of E.T. The Extra-terrestrial.

Concert tickets are available for $75 and $20 and may be purchased online at www.ymf.org/gala.  All proceeds from the Gala will benefit children and youth ages 8-25 by providing music education, scholarships, pre-professional musical training and performance opportunities.

The Debut Orchestra is the flagship program of the Young Musicians Foundation and one of the oldest and most successful pre-professional training orchestras in the country.   Debut Orchestra alumni are members of Los Angeles Philharmonic and many other orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Asia.   Notable alumni include Glenn Dicterow, New York Philharmonic concertmaster, and Robert Chen, Chicago Symphony concertmaster.

Other YMF programs include the Music Director and Conductor-in-Residence post, one of the most prestigious training positions available to young conductors.  Renowned conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, André Previn, Lawrence Foster and Daniel Hege have each held this position.   YMF also provides music mentorship and harp instruction in the Lennox School District and classical music experiences to elementary and high school students in the greater Los Angeles area.

Julia Gaskill, YMF’s Executive Director promises a night to be remembered for all in attendance. “This will be a glorious evening in celebration of the tremendous talents of our current musicians, alumni, our guest conductors and honorees.  The music will be exhilarating and the setting simply stunning.  It is so important that the community supports our musicians to develop as professionals.  By doing so we are influencing not just the lives of these worthy young musicians, but the long-term health of our cultural community and quality of life for us all,” she said.

About Young Musicians Foundation: Visit  http://www.ymf.org/  for more.

About Lawrence N. Field: Long-time YMF board member Lawrence Field is a successful real estate developer who now is turning his attention and resources to philanthropy, education and civic affairs. A decade ago with a generous contribution, he established and continues to support the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College in New York, his alma mater.  In Los Angeles, he is a major supporter of the Gilder Lehrman Saturday Academy, which prepares inner-city secondary students to succeed in college or on their chosen career paths. He also supports Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the Jewish Federation Council, Ben-Gurion University and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

About David Weiss: YMF alumnus David Weiss served as principal oboe of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1973 to 2003.  His first of dozens of solo performances with them was in 1962 when he was 15 years old.  From 1965 to 1973, he held first chair positions with the Metropolitan Opera National Company, West Point Military Academy Band, Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded numerous symphonic works with some of the world’s foremost conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, Carlo Maria Giulini, Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, André Previn and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In addition, he has played on the soundtracks for more than 150 motion pictures. David has been professor of oboe and woodwind chamber music at the USC Thornton School of Music for the past 26 years. This season marks David’s 50^th anniversary with the Debut Orchestra where he performed as principal oboe from 1961 to 1965. He joined the YMF Music Advisory Board in the mid-1970s and has served as Chairman for the past 17 years.

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Mr. Scaglione will conduct the Young People’s Concerts on November 12, 2011, and April 14, 2012. Mr. Weilerstein will lead the Young People’s Concert on October 15, 2011, and the School Day Concerts — which are open only to school groups, grades 3–
12 — on May 24–25.

“We went through an extensive search and are excited to have found two such accomplished and musical colleagues,” said Mr. Gilbert. “They are both extremely promising artists, and I look forward to welcoming them to the New York Philharmonic.”

Artists
American-born conductor Case Scaglione was named the 2011 Solti Fellow by the Solti Foundation U.S. — an honor awarded only three times in the foundation’s history. He recently finished his tenure as music director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles, where he also founded 360° Music, an educational outreach program that brought the orchestra to inner-city schools. His programs spanned works from Beethoven and Wagner to the Los Angeles premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony, which was supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

Mr. Scaglione was a student of David Zinman at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, where he won the James Conlon Prize and the Aspen Conducting Prize, which led to his Cleveland Orchestra debut in July 2010. Following his studies in Aspen, Mr. Scaglione was invited to serve as assistant conductor of the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he conducted a wide range of performances and  served as cover conductor for all orchestral performances. A frequent guest assistant and cover conductor with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and David Robertson, he has also assisted at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Opera, and he has conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Bramwell Tovey. In summer 2011 Mr. Scaglione is one of three Conducting Fellows at Tanglewood, chosen by James Levine and Stefan Asbury.

A native of Texas, Mr. Scaglione received his bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His postgraduate studies were spent at the Peabody Institute, where he studied with Gustav Meier.

Joshua Weilerstein was awarded First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2009 Malko International Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, following his completion of a bachelor of music degree in violin performance at the New England Conservatory in May 2009. His other first-prize honors have included conducting engagements over a three-year period with major Scandinavian orchestras, including the Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and the Danish National Symphony. In June 2009 he made his professional conducting debut with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of his 2010–11 season included conducting debuts with the Houston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, where as a Dudamel Fellow he conducted a series of youth and school concerts. He also appeared throughout Scandinavia, and is sharing the podium with Lorin Maazel in a concert at the
Castleton Festival this month. In the 2011–12 season Mr. Weilerstein makes conducting debuts with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio and Finnish Symphony Orchestras, Oslo Philharmonic, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie in Saarbrücken, Northern Sinfonia, and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, among others. During the past two summers he attended the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS), where he was awarded the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize. After attending the AMFS in 2010, he was named the winner of the Aspen Conducting Prize, which carried with it the honor of serving as the AMFS Assistant Conductor in the summer of 2011 as well as leading two programs with the Aspen Concert Orchestra. In May 2011 he received dual master of music degrees in orchestral conducting, which he studied with Hugh Wolff, and in violin, with Lucy Chapman.

In January 2010 Joshua Weilerstein made his conducting debut with the Símon Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, at which the soloist was his sister, the cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Mester is Conductor Laureate of the Aspen Music Festival, which he led as Music Director for 21 years from 1970-1991. He also served as Music Director of the Casals Festival for seven years. As a guest conductor, Mester has traveled the world to appear with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Concert Orchestra, and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. He was Chief conductor of the West Australia Symphony Orchestra in Perth, and was principal guest conductor of the Adelaide Symphony. In the U.S. he has conducted the orchestras of Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Seattle, Oregon, Milwaukee, Rochester, Buffalo and Virginia and was principal guest conductor of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He commanded worldwide attention when he conducted the opening ceremonies for the Getty Center in Los Angeles in 1997, and subsequently served as Artistic Director of the Center’s first classical music series. Mester’s passion for opera has led him to become a sought-after conductor in opera houses worldwide, including the New York City Opera, the Sydney Opera, the Spoleto Festival and Washington Opera.

Jorge Mester’s enthusiasm for conducting extends from the stage to the classroom. He served as Director of the Juilliard School’s Conducting Department during the early 1980’s; he also has served as Director of Conductor Development for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and has given several workshops for ASOL and the Conductors’ League. He enjoys working with young people, and has been a guest conductor at the USC Thornton School of Music. Says Mester, “I love teaching. I hope to pay back the help which Leonard Bernstein, Gregor Piatigorski, William Schuman, and Jean Morel gave me early in my career.” Indeed, he has taught several generations of conductors, including James Conlon, Dennis Russell Davies, Andreas Delfs, JoAnn Falletta, and John Nelson. In addition he mentored, early in their careers, such internationally acclaimed artists as Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Midori, Renee Fleming, Cho-Liang Lin, and Robert McDuffie.  He also mentored past conductors from Young Musicians Foundation’s Debut Orchestra, including Bundit Ungrangsee, Joana Carneiro and Sean Newhouse.

inside this issue…

Season 57: Celebrate the legacy of YMF!

P. 1 Season 56 Update
Farewell to Maestro Scaglione

P. 2 Foundation News

P. 3 Harp Program wins NEA Grant
YMF Trustee wins GRAMMY

Sean Newhouse, recipient of a $3,500 Career Assistance Award, is the first American-born conductor in fifteen years to be appointed Assistant Conductor to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he took up in 2010 at the invitation of Maestro Levine. Formerly an assistant conductor at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Newhouse began his career as Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles. Of note is Mr. Newhouse’s acclaimed last-minute debut with the Boston Symphony this past February 2011, where he stepped in to conduct Mahler’s Ninth Symphony on two hours’ notice in place of James Levine. Among Mr. Newhouse’s conducting credits are the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Boston Symphony

Case Scaglione with David Zinman

Debut Orchestra Conductor and Music Director, Case Scaglione, will be conducting the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival on July 31st, 2010 at 8pm. This marks Mr. Scaglione’s debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center. He will be conducting Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams. For more information go to http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/

“Revolutionary Voices” at The Broad Stage

Experience a repertoire of classical music throughout the ages on Saturday, April 17, 4 p.m. at The Broad Stage, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA when the world-renowned Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra performs “Revolutionary Voices”.

The free concert will feature the works of Carl Maria von Weber and Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as modern composers Arvo Pärt, Charles Fox and Michael Daugherty.

“I find it fitting that the YMF Debut Orchestra is concluding its 55^th season with a program entitled “Revolutionary Voices,” Maestro Case Scaglione said. “Classical music’s course has always been driven by composers who have had the courage to push the envelope and think outside the box. YMF has always searched for and supported these composers. From the time of Igor Stravinsky all the way to Charlie Fox today, YMF has carried on this tradition proudly. In addition to a world premiere by Mr. Fox we will also perform the music of Weber, Pärt, Michael Daugherty, and Beethoven.”

According to Scaglione, the pieces chosen for the April 17 concert are insignia of their respective eras.

“Each one of these pieces employs a compositional technique that was bold and fresh for the time. Michael Daugherty’s Red Cape tango from 1994 brings the comic book character Superman to life while Beethoven throws us even deeper into the jowls of romanticism with his wonderfully evocative 5th symphony,” he said.  “And all of this performed by the world-class Debut Orchestra. It is going to be a musical event to behold.”

The five dramatic musical pieces are considered cutting edge examples of their times.  The concert will begin with Weber’s Der Freischütz, considered to be the first important German Romantic opera. Festina Lente by Pärt  brings drama to the recounting of the beginning of the Christian era with violas, violins and bass all play in harmony at varying tempos.  Fox will premiere his Arabesque For Orchestra. Daugherty’s Red Cape Tango ties American pop culture directly into the classical arena. It is the final movement of his Metropolis Symphony, a work inspired by the life and times of the comic book character Superman.  Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, is one of the most popular and often played symphonies. It is considered groundbreaking both in terms of its technical and emotional impact.

Click here to visit the April 17th Concert Page

For more information visit the Young Musicians Foundation’s website at www.ymf.org or call 310-859-7668.

Founded in 1955, Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) is devoted to preserving the classical music heritage by providing performance opportunities; financial assistance and community outreach programming that contributes to the personal, academic and artistic development of youth from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. YMF is committed to the belief that music unifies a community and is a universal language. It is to this end that YMF strives to keep classical music alive.

Beverly Hills, March 3, 2010— The Young Musicians Foundation and its Debut Orchestra, led by music director and conductor, Maestro Case Scaglione, present “Cultural Warfare,” a concert performance and what promises to be a lively roundtable dialogue. The Debut Orchestra’s first performance takes place Sunday, March 14 at the Broad Stage, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, 4:00 p.m. This will be followed by a performance on Monday, March 15 at Hollywood’s Helen Bernstein High School, 1309 N Wilton Place, Los Angeles, CA 90028 at 1:30 p.m.

As part of its Outreach Concert Series the Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) along with its world-famous Debut Orchestra, has set out to revolutionize the way music is presented to young people by bringing together classical scores and an interactive presentation that includes provocative visuals and spirited conversations about pop culture, art, and current events, infused with music history and appreciation, literature.

To provide more than just an extraordinary listening experience, Maestro Scaglione and YMF Artistic Administrator Dr. Mieko Di Sano will use innovative slides, videos, and music examples to get across the imagery. Students will discuss how the current societal norms compare to the events and culture that produced pieces like  Pärt’s Fratres for Violin & Strings in the late 20^th century (Sunday) and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor in the late 19^th century (Monday).

“We have a moral obligation as classical musicians in the modern era to bring our splendid art form to tomorrow’s generation,” said Maestro Scaglione. “If the young people in our cities and towns are not tirelessly sought out we cannot expect them to understand the magnitude and importance of what we do. I can think of no better introduction to Western Art Music than an open, interactive discussion with the youth of Los Angeles. This will be a wonderful opportunity not only for our young audience as a learning experience, but for us to rediscover why we fell in love with classical music to start with.”

The concert series is underwritten with generous funding from State Farm Insurance, and partners with Teach for America.

YMF’s concerts not only prepare young players for their life as professional musicians, but also allow YMF to bring great music to the people of Southern California for free. With the generosity of corporate underwriting, YMF continues to expand that tradition so that every child, regardless of race or socio-economic standing, can be taken to those magical places visited only through great music.

Othalie Graham

On January 31st, 2010, the Young Musicians Foundation will be staging Act II of Richard Wagner's opera, Tristan und Isolde. The Debut Orchestra, led by Maestro Case Scaglione, will be showcasing the talents of 5 rising wagnerian stars.

For one night only, concert goers will be treated to each singer’s debut performances in their roles as the Young Musicians Foundation continues its dedication to providing world class training and opportunities for tomorrow’s classical music professionals. Starring in the role of Isolde, Othalie Graham was recently awarded both a grant from the New York Wagner Society and top prize in the Liederkranz Society’s Wagner Division competition. She has also been added to the prestigious roster of the “Emerging Singers Program” sponsored by the Wagner Society of Washington D.C. who will sponsor her in learning and performing the works of Richard Wagner under the personal tutelage of Evelyn Lear. Opposite Ms. Graham, starring as Tristan, is tenor Jeffrey Springer, who was also honored as being one of this generation’s Emerging Wagner Artists by the famous duo, Thomas Stewart and Evelyn Lear, and the Washington DC Wagner Society. In addition, he is the winner of the Concours International de Chant de Festival Atlantique in Nantes, France, the José Carreras Prize in Pamplona, Spain, and the Third Prize in the Concours International de Chant in Toulouse, France. A recent operatic engagement includes Tristan in Tristan und Isolde at the Lyric Opera of Chicago under Sir Andrew Davis. The role of Brangaene is more than filled by mezzo-soprano Erica Brookhyser who is in residence with the Los Angeles Opera as a Domingo-Thornton Young Artist, where she will be performing in the up-coming productions of Die Gezeichneten and Die Walküre. Bassist Pawel Izdebski was recently praised by the German magazine Das Opernglas for his ‘noble Hagen sung with elegance – a singer on his way to a great career.’ Recently, he has covered all the bass roles in Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in the Fura dels Baus production of the RING with Placido Domingo as Sigmund, under the baton of Zubin Mehta. There, he undertook Hagen in Götterdämmerung; Fasolt and Fafner in Das Rheingold; Hunding in Die Walküre; and Fafner again in Siegfried.

Erica Brookhyser

Pawel Izdebski

Jeffrey Springer

This new production of Tristan will be directed by Stephanie Vlahos. Stephanie is also the theater and stage director for the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist’s Program and was among 30 other artists nationwide to be nominated for the prestigious United States Artists Grant in directing.

The story of Tristan und Isolde is a tale of longing. United only in death, the two lovers seek only to consummate their love.

Join YMF at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA on January 31st, 2010 at 4pm for this limited performance.

View Tristan Event Page

Arvo Pärt – A Season Long Retrospective

Wenn Bach Bienen Gezuchtet Hatte
Sunday, November 1st 2009 1pm

Fratres for Violin & Strings
Sunday, March 14th 2010 4pm

Festina lente
Saturday, April 17th 2010 4pm

Venue:
The Broad Stage in Santa Monica
1310 11th Street, Santa Monica CA 90401