NYSO Mission Statement
The mission of the Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra is to create the opportunity for young musicians to join a musical community that provides a nurturing and challenging learning environment, promotes excellence, and serves diverse audiences through performance and outreach.
Membership is open to all students by audition regardless of race, creed, color, gender, handicap or financial status. NYSO, Inc. is a not-for-profit (501c3) corporation and derives its funds through fees, contributions and grants.
NYSO Member Description:
Over 275 young musicians from 39 North Shore and southern New Hampshire communities range in age between six and 18. Placement in each of our four orchestral ensembles, advanced wind ensemble, two flute choirs and one clarinet choir and one chorale choir is by audition and determined by objective criteria to determine skill level. Beginning in the fall of 2006, NYSO added an advanced wind ensemble for outstanding wind players. Young musicians in NYSO come from Asian, Indian, African-American, Hispanic and Anglo backgrounds, and from economic levels ranging from low income to high middle income. Our non-Anglo population is now at 12% and rising, which correlates to the areas in which our students live. The Lawrence Youth String program is 90% African-American and Hispanic. Members in NYSO’s Lawrence Youth String Ensemble participate in the string program that NYSO helps to support at Lawrence Community Charter Day School and its programs. NYSO does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race and ethnic background, or financial status or physical disabilities.
Continuing Free Concerts
Since its inception 18 years ago, NYSO has provided concerts that are free and open to the public in order to introduce orchestral music to a broad range of families in our communities. NYSO performs four major concerts each year along with ten outreach concerts.
Orchestra Enrichment Day Seminars
One Saturday each semester, the Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Intermezzo, and Overture Orchestras and the Prelude String Ensemble members attend an intensive Enrichment Day Seminar. Outstanding musicians from the Greater Boston area come to work with the students, providing them with an intensive workshop on the music to be performed at each concert.
Annual Retreat Day
In August of each year, The Symphony Orchestra and the Intermezzo Orchestra hold a retreat day at Castle Hill. Students enjoy a day of music, food and fun as they get acquainted.
Chamber Music
NYSO provides the opportunity for the advanced young musicians to participate in an exciting chamber music program. From December through February, all students in the Symphony Orchestra and selected advanced students in Intermezzo Orchestra participate in small ensembles for eight weeks. String, woodwind, brass and mixed ensembles – quartets, trios, and quintets – work on challenging repertoire, suited to each group’s skill level.
Students are placed one on a
part, and the responsibility for their part lies solely with the individual. This always results in outstanding growth for the
entire orchestra as is clearly seen in the following months of full orchestra rehearsal.
Coached by outstanding musicians in the Greater Boston area, students rehearse in small chamber ensembles during the last 75 minutes of each regular rehearsal during these months. In addition, ensembles have extra rehearsal time during our spring Enrichment Day.
At the beginning of March, all ensembles perform in a wonderful family chamber music concert that allows members of the audience to hear all the individual instruments of an orchestra and exposes them to the wonderful world of chamber music. After this concert, all groups participate in outreach concerts. For many of our students, this program is the highlight of their year in NYSO.
For more information see “Youth Serving Through Music” program below.
“Youth Serving Through Music”
Outreach and Chamber
Music Project
NYSO considers outreach concerts to be a high priority both as a way to serve the communities and a way to build responsible citizenship in our young musicians. Each year all ensembles participate in at least one of ten special concerts as part of fulfilling NYSO’s community service goals.
The small ensembles perform for senior citizen homes in Andover, Danvers, Newburyport, North Andover, Ipswich and other towns. In addition they perform concerts at a program in Lawrence, for the senior citizens center in Ipswich and a benefit concert for Thanksgiving Day baskets at First Church in Ipswich. Every member of NYSO participates in some part of “Youth Serving Through Music.”
In 1998-99, we began sponsorship of a pilot violin program at the Community Day Charter School and latchkey program in Lawrence, where selected students are learning to play the violin. Students in the program are from Afro-American, Puerto Rican, Haitian and Anglo backgrounds. Beginning with three students, the program rapidly expanded and presently provides over 75 students with violin instruction, group and performance opportunities. NYSO students provide mentoring each Friday and Tuesday afternoon at the Lawrence school and also on Saturdays and during summer weeks.
To read more about our outreach programs -- Outreach Program Page Link
WebSite
This website gives important information and news updates. We also interconnect by web links to other musical and cultural organizations in the area.
Communities served by NYSO
NYSO members come from communities throughout the Merrimack Valley, the North Shore of Boston and Southern New Hampshire.
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Amesbury Andover Beverly Boxford Byfield Danvers Gloucester Groveland Hamilton Hampton Falls, NH Ipswich |
Lawrence Lynnfield Manchester Marblehead Melrose Methuen Middleton Newbury Newburyport North Andover North Reading |
Reading Rockport Rowley South Hamilton Swampscott Topsfield Wakefield West Boxford Wenham West Newbury Woburn |
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Organizational Structure - Board, Staff and Volunteers
NYSO is a nonprofit organization dedicated to musical education and growth of young musicians. The organization has grown significantly over the past 18 years. We now serve both the students and the communities of the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, and Southern New Hampshire by combining high musical standards and a nurturing atmosphere for these young people.
Trudy Larson of North Andover is Executive Director and founder of NYSO. She is also NYSO’s String Director and is a violin teacher and music educator in the area. NYSO Music Director and Advanced Wind Ensemble conductor is Gerald Dolan, a highly respected music educator who is also the director of award winning bands from Ipswich High School. Symphony Orchestra is now under the direction of Walter Pavasaris, an outstanding music educator with many years of experience with young musicians. Intermezzo Orchestra is under the direction of Walter O’Keefe, band director at Masconomet Regional School and well-known trumpet soloist. Prelude Strings Ensemble is under the direction of Darcy Montaldi, chamber music and orchestral performer, as well as viola/violin teacher and director of string groups in other studios in the Boston area. Heather Kent, a flute teacher with extensive experience in directing and training flute choirs, directs our three flute choirs. Clarinet Choir is directed by Nalani Fujiwara, clarinet teacher and free-lance performer in the greater Boston area.
The NYSO organization has an active working board of thirteen members of NYSO parents, alumni, music teachers and community business leaders. The board is aided by a highly qualified Advisory Board that includes musicians as well as people from many walks of life who have a love of music and who believe in its value in enriching the lives of young people. Parents and community members are welcome at board meetings. In 2006, we initiated a Business Advisory Council to assist with advising NYSO in financial and organizational matters.
In addition, a Parent Volunteer Organization (PVO) carries out many of the organization's tasks. NYSO is proud that over 85% of families volunteer in its activities and carry out many of the organization's crucial tasks. Volunteers assist in this project by organizing mailings, concert details, phone calls, receptions, retreats, transportation and many other tasks.
Scholarship Assistance
NYSO does not turn anyone away because of financial hardship. Upon board approval, we offer scholarshipsto young musicians who do not have the financial ability to pay our tuition.
NYSO History Highlights
Begun in 1991, NYSO has grown into the premier youth orchestra on the North Shore and Merrimack Valley, under the direction of founder and Executive Director Trudy Larson and Music Director Gerald Dolan.
1991-1992 – Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra began as a small string ensemble at Spofford Pond School in Boxford, which then added a few winds, and brass in its second year.
1993 -1995 –The orchestra grew and further expanded its instrumentation. NYSO moved to Topsfield and began performing three annual concerts. In May of 1995, NYSO incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. The following summer, Mr. Gerald Dolan was appointed Director of Music and Conductor of NYSO.
1995-1997– NYSO added Intermezzo Orchestra. The orchestra continued to grow in quality and in numbers to over 60 members; enrichment days were initiated, bringing in wonderful musicians as guest conductors. Prelude String Ensemble, a beginning string group, was added.
1998-1999 – NYSO commissioned Robert Bradshaw, a composer from Gloucester, to compose a new piece of music to be premiered by the three NYSO orchestras at their two spring concerts.
1999-2000 – Symphony Orchestra performed the Haydn trumpet concerto with trumpet soloist Randy O’Keefe. NYSO began its first annual Chamber Music Project for Symphony Orchestra, resulting in several outreach concerts to benefit seniors and students.
2000-2001 – NYSO added two levels of flute choirs. Susan Davenny Wyner was guest conductor with Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra made its first tour in April, traveling to Maine. NYSO students began mentoring young violinists in a Lawrence string program.
2001-2002 – NYSO concert featured the premiere of a work by Robert Bradshaw entitled “Gloucester Suite,” accompanied by a multimedia presentation of important events in Gloucester history; Symphony Orchestra performed its first symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C major.
2002-2003 – The Symphony Orchestra performed the Haydn Horn Concerto No. 1 with soloist Robin Milinazzo and also enjoyed having Jonathan McPhee, conductor of the Boston Ballet Orchestra, as a guest conductor for Enrichment Day. Robert Bradshaw was appointed NYSO’s composer-in residence. The Clarinet Choir was added.
2003-2004 - NYSO inaugurated its first student concerto competition for members of the Symphony Orchestra and continued to grow to over 200 students from 34 North Shore and Merrimack Valley communities. A third flute choir was added to NYSO.
2004-2005 – Symphony Orchestra performed “Peter and the Wolf” with Das Puppenspiel Puppet Troupe in a concert that drew an audience of 700. Growth continued to include 220 students from 37 communities.
2005-2006-– NYSO expanded to serve 250 students and finished plans to add an advanced Wind Ensemble this fall
under the direction of Gerald Dolan. David Rox and students from the Gordon College music department have joined NYSO to build
this ensemble. Dr. Walter Pavasaris was chosen to be Symphony Orchestra Conductor. “Youth Serving Through Music” continued to
perform for enthusiastic audiences in many venues.
2006-2007 -- TBE