****** UPDATED ON 11/14/24 WITH SHORTER REHEARSAL TIME *****

Hi all,

Great concert Sunday night! I’m proud of everybody’s fearless and committed performances. We’ll do a little debriefing on Sunday, and we’ll dive right into our new repertoire.

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Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, November 17

• 4:00pm-5:20pm – Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 – listen to each movement and read as much as we can.
• 5:30pm-6:15pm – Frazar Henry: “Seas of Glass” (YCP piece): read first draft of piece with composer on video call.
• 6:15pm – end of rehearsal to transition to 7pm Community Concert

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Part assignments for January 12 concert

Please click the button below to check part assignments for this concert. As always, my part assignments are not rankings. I like rotating leadership and positions whenever possible. These assignments are subject to change.

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Access practice parts on the MYS website

We’ll have hard copies of everything on Sunday, but please go to our Online Music Library to print practice parts for this week. I strongly recommend that you spend some time on the Rachmaninoff, even if it’s listening to a recording and following along your part (while annotating it as needed).

The password to access our Online Music Library is playmys.

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Stay after rehearsal to support your peers (Community Concert at 7:00pm @ All Saints)

There will be an MYS Community Concert in the church upstairs starting at 7:00pm. Stay if you can to support your friends, including percussion, MYSfits and our jazz groups.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Symphony Orchestra | Photo by Willie Gilliland, Nov 10, 2024

Hi everybody,

Excellent work with David Danzmayr on Sunday. As I mentioned, he was impressed and I was proud of you. I hope you felt proud of yourselves as well.

This is the home stretch before our concert on Sunday, November 10th: the season opener for our 50th Anniversary Season. Please do practice at home, and be strategic with how you spend your time. I know you’re all very busy with school and other extracurriculars. Make sure to get enough sleep too.

Recap of Sunday and plans for the whole week are below. Please make sure to arrive by 6:45pm for each of our upcoming evening rehearsals.

RECAP of 10/27 rehearsal

• Tchaikovsky with David Danzmayr.
• Crain-Keddie’s Innamorata: letter [R] to end.
• Mazzoli: letter [U] to end of piece.
• Beethoven: we were only able to work briefly on the introduction.

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Rehearsal Plan for Thursday, 11/7

• 6:45pm arrival
• 7:00pm-8:20pm: Beethoven
• 8:20pm-8:30pm: break
• 8:30pm-9:30pm: Mazzoli

Rehearsal Plan for Friday, 11/8

• 6:45pm arrival
• 7:00pm-7:45pm: Crain-Keddie’s Innamorata
• 7:45pm-9:00pm: Tchaikovsky (with 10-min break somewhere in the middle)
• 9:00pm-9:30pm: Beethoven

Rehearsal Plan for Saturday, 11/9

6:45pm arrival, then rehearsal in concert order:

1. Beethoven
2. Crain-Keddie
3. Mazzoli
4. Tchaikovsky

Sunday, November 10 (concert day)

• Call time: 5:00pm
• Call sheet with all details is linked here.
• 5:30pm-6:15pm – very short on-stage sound-check rehearsal. Concert order.

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Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal with David Danzmayr | Photos by Oregon Symphony, 11/3/24

Hi all,

Thanks for your work on Sunday, 10/27. Below are a recap of our last rehearsal, and the rehearsal plan for 11/3, including the visit by Oregon Symphony Music Director David Danzmayr (!!!!). Reminder: please make sure your Tchaikovsky parts have bar numbers before next Sunday!!

RECAP of 10/27 rehearsal

• Innamorata: letter [D] to [R]
• Mazzoli: beginning to letter U
• Tchaikovsky: spots, including work on the syncopations at m. 285 and m. 307. We ended rehearsal with a full run-through of the piece.

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, November 3

• 4:00pm-4:15pm – Tchaikovsky (spots) with Dr. G.
• 4:15pm-5:30pm – Tchaikovsky: whole piece with David Danzmayr
• 5:30pm-5:45pm – break
• 5:45pm-6:05pm – Crain-Keddie‘s Innamorata: letter [R] to end
• 6:05pm-6:25pm – Mazzoli: letter [U] to end of Part 2
• 6:25pm-7:00pm – Beethoven: full piece

Measure numbers in Tchaikovsky (you’re welcome)

Please add bar numbers at the beginning of each line in your part, so that when I, or anybody who’s conducting asks to begin at a specific bar number, you can find it very quickly. Below, I’m sharing the bar number for each rehearsal letter, which you can use to double-check your count.

• A: 38
• B: 61
• C: 86
• D: 122
• E: 143
• F: 161
• G: 184
• H: 205
• J: 243
• K: 273
• L: 300
• M: 320
• N: 331
• O: 345
• P: 364
• Q: 387
• R: 419
• S: 446
• T: 462
• U: 485

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Support your friends this Friday, Nov. 1st

Congratulations to the finalists of our 2024 MYS Concerto Competition and all the applicants! Finalists will perform their pieces in front of a live audience. MYS students are not required to have a ticket for this event, however, tickets are required for other guests. You can purchase additional tickets below.

Friday, November 1, 7:00pm — The Old Madeleine Church, 3123 NE 24th Ave

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Symphony Orchestra Members | Photo by Sheepscot Creative, August, 2024

Hi everybody,

Thank you to everybody who submitted auditions for this season’s Concerto Competition. All the submissions showed hard work and talent. It wasn’t easy to narrow it down for the final round on November 1st. Below are the finalists (in alphabetical order by last name) and one alternate finalist.

• Leah Almeida (cello) – David Popper, Hungarian Rhapsody for Cello
• Tai Friel (trombone) – Ferdinand David, Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra
• Ciela Heiles (bassoon) – Henri Tomasi, Bassoon Concerto, Mvt. 1
• Soren Holbrook (viola) – Cecil Forsyth, Viola Concerto in G minor, mvt. 1
• Leena Karmarkar (violin) – Antonín Dvořák, Violin Concerto in A minor, mvt. 3
• Kaden Prichard (clarinet) – Carl Maria von Weber, Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, mvt. 3

• Alternate finalist: Rowan Furrer (cello) – Joseph Haydn, Cello Concert No. 2 in D Major, mvt. 1 (performs on 11/1 if a finalist is unable to participate)

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Congrats to all! The rest of us: let’s make sure to mark our calendars for Friday, November 1st at 7:00pm at The Madeleine at 3123 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97212. Come support your friends!

Dr. G.

Ian Ko, cello – one of the winners of the MYS Concerto Competition 2023-2024

Hi everybody,

Very good rehearsal on Sunday (10/20). Good work all around. This coming Sunday (10/27), we’ll be two short weeks away from the concert. It’s time to kick into high gear. Also, a reminder that David Danzmayr, Music Director of the Oregon Symphony, will visit our rehearsal and will conduct Tchaikovsky on Sunday, 11/3.

RECAP of 10/20 rehearsal

• Group photos!
• Innamorata, from the beginning to letter [D]
• Tchaikovsky, from K to the end.
• Beethoven: whole piece

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, October 27

• 4:00pm-4:30pm – Elishiya’s piece Innamorata [D] to end
• 4:30pm-5:15pm – Mazzoli: whole piece
• 5:15pm-5:30pm – break
• 5:30pm-7:00pm – Tchaikovsky (entire piece, in preparation for 11/3 David Danzmayr visit)

Concert dress check make-up

If you didn’t wear your concert clothes last Sunday, please remember to wear them to rehearsal this Sunday. You may bring clothes to change into after you get your concert attire checked and approved by Group Managers.

Reminder: LISTEN to our repertoire constantly

It’s always a good idea to find several different versions of each of the pieces we’re playing. Add them to your regular listening rotation. You can always start with the recordings that I’ve shared on the sidebar of this blog. The more variety you find, the more informed your own performance will be.

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Symphony Orchestra | October 20, 2024

Hi all!!

Thank you for your work on Sunday, October 13. We did some good work, and we also learned that we all need to be quite a bit further along in our knowledge of the music as we currently are. Please (1) listen to recordings of our repertoire, (2) plan your practice time strategically and (3) practice with a metronome.

RECAP of 10/6 rehearsal

• We worked on Part 2 of Mazzoli. It went well.
• We worked on Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet. My hope was to play through the whole piece, but we were only able to make it to about letter [K],
• We worked on Beethoven and encounter similar preparation issues as with Tchaikovsky. We really need to step up our game! Our orchestra is as good as we all collectively want it to be, and I know it has the potential to be EXCELLENT. Know how the music goes! Again, listen to recordings (not just the same one over and over again, but several different versions). This will inform your practicing and your performance in rehearsal.

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, October 20

• 4:00pm-4:30pm – Elishiya’s piece Innamorata
• 4:30pm-5:15pm – tutti: Tchaikovsky (letter K to the end)
• 5:15pm-5:30pm – break
• 5:30pm-7:00pm – Beethoven!! (entire piece)
• note: we won’t rehearse Mazzolli on Sunday, but please keep practicing it as well.

Reminder: LISTEN to our repertoire constantly

It’s always a good idea to find several different versions of each of the pieces we’re playing. Add them to your regular listening rotation. You can always start with the recordings that I’ve shared on the sidebar of this blog. The more variety you find, the more informed your own performance will be.

Reminder: Dress Check this Sunday

You’ll also get a reminder in tomorrow’s Weekly Announcements. Look for more details there if you need them.

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Musicians photographed by Sheepscot Creative | August 2024

Hi all!!

I enjoyed our rehearsal on Sunday, October 6th. By the time we get to our next rehearsal (this Sunday, 10/13), we’ll be less than a month away from our first concert. Please continue planning your practicing very strategically, so that concert week is enjoyable and not stressful.

RECAP of 10/6 rehearsal

• We read the first draft of Elishiya Crain-Keddie‘s piece Innamorata. Thank you for your great reading and very valuable input for the composer. We will hand out the final parts this Sunday. The next rehearsal of this piece will be on Oct. 20.
• We worked on Missy Mazzoli‘s Orpheus Undone. We worked backwards from the end of Part 1 back to letter [X]. Good work on this. Keep practicing!
• SECTIONALS
  • Woodwind sections worked on Mazzoli and Tchaikovsky as needed.
  • Strings, percussion and brass worked with me on Tchaikovsky, focusing on the following sections:
    • Q to U
    • 508 to end
    • J to K
    • M to 367 (playthrough only)

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, October 13

• 4:00pm-4:45pm – tutti: Part 2 of Missy Mazzoli‘s Orpheus Undone
• 4:45pm-5:15pm – tutti: Tchaikovsky (entire piece)
• 5:15pm-5:30pm – break
• 5:30pm-7:00pm – Beethoven!! (entire piece) — we need to make a ton of progress on Beethoven. Please practice and listen to recordings!

Reminder: LISTEN to our repertoire constantly

It’s always a good idea to find several different versions of each of the pieces we’re playing. Add them to your regular listening rotation. You can always start with the recordings that I’ve shared on the sidebar of this blog. The more variety you find, the more informed your own performance will be.

Reminder: Concerto Competition

The webpage for our Concerto Competition is now live. You’ll find all the information you need, including deadlines, rules and forms. The registration deadline is Monday, October 14. Video entries are due Friday October 18.

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Musicians photographed by Sheepscot Creative | September 2024

Happy October!!

Thank you for your work on Sunday 9/29, and thank you to our brass coaches. Below is a recap of our rehearsal and our plan for Sunday 10/6

RECAP of 9/29 rehearsal

• We worked on Tchaikovsky: first, we read and worked from the beginning to the Allegro Giusto. Then, we read (and sort of worked along the way) on Allegro Giusto to letter [O]. Finally, we went back to the Allegro Giusto for some deeper work until letter [G].
• We did *NOT* work on Orpheus Undone on Sunday 9/29. I thought that we needed the extra time on Thaikovsky.
• SECTIONALS.
  • Brass sections worked on Mazzoli and Tchaikovsky as needed.
  • Strings and woodwinds worked with me on Beethoven. We practiced the presto, played slowly, worked on the syncopations. Then we read the Allegro until the first trumpet fanfare (with some light work). Beethoven still needs lots of work.

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, October 6

• 4:00pm-4:45pm – tutti: readthrough of the first draft of “Innamorata” by Elishiya Crain-Keddie (YCP piece) – hard copies of parts will be provided at rehearsal.
• 4:45pm-5:30pm – tutti: Mazzoli, letter [H] to end of Part 1
• 5:30pm-5:45pm – break
• 5:45pm-7:00pm – sectionals (see below)

Sectional split for 9/29:

• Flutes – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Oboes – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Clarinets – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Bassoons – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Strings, brass, percussion, harp/piano – Tchaikovsky – Letter [G] to end.

Reminder: LISTEN to our repertoire constantly

It’s always a good idea to find several different versions of each of the pieces we’re playing. Add them to your regular listening rotation. You can always start with the recordings that I’ve shared on the sidebar of this blog. The more variety you find, the more informed your own performance will be.

Reminder: Concerto Competition

The webpage for our Concerto Competition is now live. You’ll find all the information you need, including deadlines, rules and forms. The registration deadline is Monday, October 14. Video entries are due Friday October 18.

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Musicians | August 2024

Happy Tuesday!

Great work on Sunday 9/22. Thank you to the string coaches who worked with our sections. Below is a recap of our rehearsal and our plan for Sunday 9/29.

RECAP of 9/22 rehearsal

• Worked on Missy Mazzoli‘s Orpheus Undone, Part 1: Behold the Machine (O Death). We read the whole Part 1, then worked from the beginning until letter [L]
• SECTIONALS on Tchaikovsky. String sections covered:
  • Allegro giusto (m. 112) to m.164
  • Letter K to m.285
  • Letter L to m.307
  • Letter O to m. 368
  • Letter S to Letter U.
• Winds/brass/percussion worked on Tchaikovsky from the beginning to letter [O].

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, September 29

• 4:00pm-5:00pm – tutti: Tchaikovsky, beginning to letter [O]
• 5:00pm-5:30pm – tutti: Mazzoli, letter [H] to end of Part 1
• 5:30pm-5:45pm – break
• 5:45pm-7:00pm – sectionals (see below)

Sectional split for 9/29:

• Horns – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Trumpets – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Low brass – Mazzoli, Tchaikovsky as needed
• Strings, woodwinds – Beethoven Leonore Overture: Presto (m. 514) to end; Allegro (m. 37) to m. 272.

LISTEN to our repertoire constantly

It’s always a good idea to find several different versions of each of the pieces we’re playing. Add them to your regular listening rotation. You can always start with the recordings that I’ve shared on the sidebar of this blog. The more variety you find, the more informed your own performance will be.

Concerto Competition

The webpage for our Concerto Competition is now live. You’ll find all the information you need, including deadlines, rules and forms. The registration deadline is Monday, October 14. Video entries are due Friday October 18.

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

Violins for sale

I have a couple of full-size violins for sale if anybody is interested. Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll give you more information.

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Musicians | September 2024

Hi all,

Thank you to Mr. Adam Eccleston, who subbed for me on Sunday 9/15. I don’t expect to miss any more rehearsals! We will begin sectionals this coming Sunday, and will have them for the next three weeks in different combinations.

Rehearsal Plan for Sunday, September 22

• 4:00pm-5:30pm: Work on Missy Mazzoli‘s Orpheus Undone, Part 1: Behold the Machine (O Death).
• 5:30pm-5:45pm: break
• 5:45pm-7:00pm: SECTIONALS on Tchaikovsky. All sections should aim to cover the following passages:
  • Allegro giusto (m. 112) to m.164
  • Letter K to m.285
  • Letter L to m.307
  • Letter O to m. 368
  • Letter S to Letter U.

Sectional split for 9/22:

• Violin 1
• Violin 2
• Viola
• Cello/Bass
• Winds/Brass/Percussion – Tchaikovsky (whole piece) with Dr. G.

LISTEN TO “Orpheus Undone” as you practice for Sunday

Please listen to the whole piece and follow along with the full score. Here’s Part I and here’s Part II. As you read above, we’ll focus on Part 1 this coming Sunday (9/22). You can also find links on the side bar in this page (or at the bottom if on mobile).

Concerto Competition

A reminder that the MYS Concerto Competition will be earlier this year. Pieces must be approved by me (e-mail me with questions). They should be 10 minutes or shorter. More details will be e-mailed in the coming days.

• Friday, October 18: videos due for preliminary round (accompanist required)
• Friday, November 1st (evening): final round (with live audience)

Extra/replacement parts on the MYS website

• As always, you can find practice PDFs or print your own replacement parts on your Online Music Library. The password is playmys.

Program Note for “Orpheus Undone”

Orpheus Undone, an orchestral work commissioned in 2020 by the Chicago Symphony, is an exploration of two brief moments in the Orpheus myth – the moment that Eurydice dies, and the moment that Orpheus decides to follow his lover into the underworld. Constructed of two connected movements, Behold the Machine, O Death and We of Violence, We Endure, this work explores the baffling and surreal stretching of time in moments of trauma or agony. The movement titles come from Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus and this work uses small fragments of material from my 2019 ballet Orpheus Alive. 

-Missy Mazzoli

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Happy practicing,

Dr. G.

MYS Symphony Orchestra Musicians photographed by Mike from Sheepscot | September 2024