Category: Symphony Orchestra

MYS Symphony Orchestra Posts

Rehearsal plan for 12/10/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

Hi everybody,

I missed seeing you on Sunday. Thank you to Giancarlo Castro for stepping in!

Please remember that as per our season schedule, this Sunday’s rehearsal will be later than usual: 6:30pm-9:00pm.

The reason for this different rehearsal time is that earlier, at 4pm, several MYS ensembles will perform in a Community Concert, right at All Saints: Flute Ensemble, Symphonic Wind Ensemble and MYSfits (joined by members of A Far Cry, the Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra from Boston).

I would encourage all of you to come to this concert at 4pm to support your peers. You don’t need tickets for this performances. Family members and general audience can get tickets here.

If you’re unable to attend the 4pm concert to support your friends, please arrive at 6:15pm for a 6:30pm rehearsal start.

Heads-up about next few rehearsals and January 9 concert

If you’re new to MYS Symphony Orchestra this year, it’s important that you understand the quick turn-around that we have before our January concert, with the additional challenge of a holiday break right in the middle.

We have only 2 more rehearsals before our holiday break, and then we come right back to concert week, with evening rehearsals on Thursday, Jan 4; Friday, Jan 5; Saturday, Jan 6, and Sunday, Jan 6 as per our season schedule. There is no rehearsal on Monday, Jan 8, and then our concert is TUESDAY, Jan 9.

This means that your individual preparation (which is always crucial), is more important than ever. So, please practice everything you’re playing!!

Rehearsal plan for December 10, 2023

  • 6:30pm-7:15pm: “she flies with her own wings” by Kenji Bunch
  • 7:15pm-7:45pm: Alentejana Suite No. 2 by Luis de Branco Freitas
  • 7:45pm-8:00pm: break
  • 8:00pm-8:20pm: “Willow Bed,” arr. Kornelis
  • 8:20pm-8:40pm: “Are You Lonely,” arr. Frazar Henry
  • 8:40pm-9:00pm: “I Love You,” arr. Stuppler

More important information:

  • If you were not at rehearsal on Sunday, or need replacement practice parts, you can access our digital library here. Password is playmys.

Finally, starting tomorrow night (Friday, Dec 8), I will be conducting The Nutcracker with Oregon Ballet Theatre. There are 14 shows with orchestra between 12/8 and 12/24. Call the OBT Box Office at 503-222-5538 for student tickets.

Best,

Dr. G.

OBT The Nutcracker, 2023

Rehearsal plan for 12/03/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

Hi everybody,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This Sunday (12/3) we will read 4 out of 6 arrangements of songs by Jimmie Herrod, created by Young Composers Project students. We will offer feedback to the arrangers so they can make any final edits/corrections.

In the second half of rehearsal, we will work on Tomás Bretón’s En la Alhambra.

Approximate timing:

  • 4:00pm-5:30pm: Arrangements by Elaina Stuppler, Adrian Valenzuela, Frazar Henry and Lex Kornelis.
  • 5:30pm-5:50pm: break
  • 5:50pm-7:00pm: Bretón

More important information:

  • Temporary PDF score and parts for Jimmie’s songs can be found here.

Temporary part assignments for Jimmie’s songs will be e-mailed on Friday.

Notes for harp and percussion:

  • Harp: there is a harp part for 2 of the songs: Are You Lonely and Willow Bed.
  • Percussion: look for an e-mail from me and/or Mr. Schlossman with part assignments.

In addition to Bretón’s piece and the arrangments of Jimmie’s songs, this concert includes a piece by Portuguese composer Luis de Freitas Branco and Portland’s own Kenji Bunch. We’ll distribute PDFs of those parts soon.

Best,

Dr. G.

Winds, brass, harp assignments for Bretón

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

Hi everybody,

Even though I won’t see woodwinds, brass, harps or percussion this Sunday, I’d like to share part assignments for Tomás Bretón’s “En La Alhambra.” Please print a practice part for yourself, and start practicing.

Percussionists: stand by for your assignments, coming up soon.

Happy WIBC to those of you doing that, and I look forward to working with the bowed string sections this Sunday.

Best,

Dr. G.

Reference Videos for 1/9/23 concert & Leadership Auditions

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

Hi everybody,

I am very proud of everybody’s hard work and inspired by your fearless and passionate playing in our concert last Sunday. CONGRATS!! It was a very fun performance, and I keep hearing very positive feedback from audience members.

I’m writing to share reference videos for our upcoming program, and to let you know about upcoming Leadership Auditions.

Reference Videos

(these can also be found on the sidebar of this webpage)

(Note: we are playing 6 original songs by Jimmie, arranged by YCP composers and guests. The video above is only for you to get to know Jimmie, if you don’t yet)

Leadership Auditions

We will hold self-submitted, optional leadership auditions for leadership chairs for our March 2024 concert. If you want to participate, you’ll need to record two scales (major & minor) of your choice, plus 3 minutes (minimum) of solo repertoire of your choice. The deadline for submission is Friday, December 22.

More information, as well as submission instructions will be sent in the coming weeks.

Reminder: Rehearsal on Sunday 11/19 will be only for bowed strings. No winds, brass, harp or percussion.

I’m also including the links below from my last e-mail:

  • Strings Seating Roster (reminder: my rosters are NOT rankings! – I try to build balanced sections with players of all levels of experience all around the sections).

Best,

Dr. G.

String roster and parts for Bretón

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

Hi all,

Amazing concert last night. I’ll take some time later in the week to write to you in more detail about our very successful performance.

I just wanted to take a moment today to send our string players the seating roster for our next concert, PDF practice parts for one of the pieces we will be performing on January 9: En la Alhambra by Spanish composer Tomás Bretón, and reference audio.

Reminder: Rehearsal on Sunday 11/19 will be only for bowed strings. No winds, brass, harp or percussion.

Thanks, congrats again, and see you (strings) on Sunday.

Best,

Dr. G.

Rehearsal plan for CONCERT WEEK | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

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COUNTDOWN before concert (as of Tuesday, November 7):

5 days!

Hi everybody,

Great work on Sunday. CONCERT WEEK is here!! Our evening rehearsals leading up to the concert are extremely important. Please practice very strategically this week, and if you’ve already let me know that you can’t make one or several weeknight rehearsals, PLEASE practice EXTRA hard. A few important announcements below.

  • We now have (truly) final parts for the YCP piece. I’ve also bowed the string parts. We’ve simplified some rhythms here and there, added some missing details (trills, etc), clarified dynamics, and fixed some enharmonic spelling issues. We will hand out hard copies of these new parts on Thursday evening. However, if you’d like to download or print a practice part before then, you can find them here.
  • The week after our concert (Sunday, November 19), rehearsal will be for STRINGS ONLY. That’s WIBC weekend, so too many winds/brass/percussion musicians will be missing anyway. This will also be the first rehearsal for new repertoire for our January 9 concert. PDF parts will be distributed in advance.
  • On Saturday evening (our final rehearsal before Sunday), YCP staff will bring recording equipment to rehearsal to record Music for an Imaginary Cartoon. This will be our backup recording in case something unexpected happens on Sunday at the Schnitz.

Recap: 11/05/23

  • 4pm-5:35pm: YCP
  • 5:50pm-7:00pm:
    • Mussorgsky
    • Dukas
    • Beauty and the Beast
    • “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid

Rehearsal plan for CONCERT WEEK

(subject to change! check this page for latest information)

Thursday, 11/9, 7:00pm-9:30pm

  • 7:00pm: Totoro
  • 7:20pm: Dukas
  • 8:15pm: break
  • 8:30pm: Beauty and The Beast
  • 9:00pm: Little Mermaid

Friday, 11/10, 7:00pm-9:30pm

  • 7:00pm: Poor Unfortunate Souls (with Zach)
  • 7:20pm: Music for an Imaginary Cartoon
  • 8:15pm: break
  • 8:30pm: Mussorgsky
  • 9:00pm: Dukas

Saturday, 11/11, 7:00pm-9:30pm

  • 7:00pm: Music for an Imaginary Cartoon (recording!!)
  • 7:30pm: Totoro
  • 7:45pm: Mussorgsky
  • 8:00pm: Beauty and the Beast
  • 8:15pm: break
  • 8:30pm: Little Mermaid
  • 8:45pm: Poor Unfortunate Souls (no Zach)
  • 9:00pm: Dukas

Sunday, 11/12, call time @ Schnitz: 5:00pm

  • Consult Call Sheet here.
  • 5:30pm-6:20pm: soundcheck rehearsal on stage
  • Concert order:
    • Mussorgsky
    • Music for an Imaginary Cartoon
    • Beauty and the Beast
    • Mermaid
    • Souls
    • Dukas
    • Totoro

Season Schedule

Consult our season schedule here.

On The Media

Happy practicing and see you Thursday!

Dr. G. 

Rehearsal plan for 11/05/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

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COUNTDOWN before concert (as of Thursday, November 2):

10 days!

Hi all!

Thanks for a productive rehearsal last Sunday. Please see below for a recap and rehearsal plan for this Sunday (11/5). We have a lot to get done!

Recap: 10/29/23

  • 4pm-5:00pm: Beauty and the Beast
  • 5:00pm-6:15pm: Little Mermaid
  • 6:15pm-6:45pm: work on Poor Unfortunate Souls
  • 6:45pm-7:00pm: Totoro

Rehearsal plan for 11/05/23

If you didn’t wear your concert dress last Sunday, please do it this week. If you need to, consult page 8 of the Student Handbook for attire guidelines.

  • 4:00pm-5:00pm: YCP piece (Music for an Imaginary Cartoon)
  • 5:00pm-5:30pm: Dukas
  • 5:45pm-6:15pm: Mussorgsky
  • 6:15pm-6:40pm: Beauty and the Beast (268 to end)
  • 6:40pm-7:00pm: “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid.

Weeknight rehearsals coming up!!

Our pre-concert weeknight rehearsals are coming up. These are extremely important, so make sure they’re on your calendar (Thursday 11/9, Friday 11/10, Saturday 11/11).

Consult our season schedule for details.

If you missed it last week, check out this article about MYS on Oregon ArtsWatch

Happy practicing and see you Sunday!

Dr. G. 

P.S. MYSfits will be live on the radio today (11/2) at 3pm. Tune in! – www.allclassical.org or 89.9 in Portland.

MYSfits will be live on Thursdays @ Three today (11/2). Tune in!

Rehearsal plan for 10/29/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

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COUNTDOWN before concert (as of Tuesday, October 24):

19 days

Hi all!

I was very pleased with our rehearsal on Sunday. Keep up the great work!

It’s 19 days before our concert.

Please make sure to practice “Music for an Imaginary Cartoon” now that we have our final parts. String section principals: please add bowings this week.

Recap: 10/22/23

  • 4pm-5:15pm: we read and worked on the final version of “Music for an Imaginary Cartoon.” We discovered some issues in the parts, particularly between [B] and [C]. Expect some kind of insert for this section.
  • 5:15pm-5:40pm: read-through of Dukas (mostly good!!) and some work on this piece.
  • 5:50pm-6:30pm: work on Poor Unfortunate Souls
  • 6:30pm-7:00pm: Totoro

Rehearsal plan for 10/29/23

Concert dress check!!! If you need to, consult page 8 of the Student Handbook for attire guidelines.

  • 4:00pm-4:45pm: Beauty and the Beast
  • 4:45pm-5:30pm: The Little Mermaid
  • 5:45pm-6:15pm: Mussorgsky
  • 6:15pm-6:45pm: Poor Unfortunate Souls (with Zach Galatis!)
  • 6:45pm-7:00pm: Totoro

If you missed it last week, check out this article about MYS on Oregon ArtsWatch

Happy practicing and see you Sunday!

Dr. G. 

P.S. In case you missed it, click the photo below to watch a clip on KGW8 about the Oregon Symphony’s recent concert with Common, which I conducted (and am still starstruck about)

Common!

Rehearsal plan for 10/22/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

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COUNTDOWN before concert (as of Tuesday, October 17):

26 days

Hi everyone!

Really great rehearsal on Sunday. I was very pleased with the progress we’re making on Mussorgsky and Dukas. We’re done with sectionals for the term. From now on, it’s all tutti work until our concert.

This Sunday, we’ll hand out parts of the final version of Music for an Imaginary Cartoon, and we’ll start rehearsing the piece. Please read on.

Recap: 10/15/23

  • Tutti: excellent work on Mussorgsky (read-through, detailed work [W] to end, and beginning to [M]-ish.)
  • Sectionals: woodwinds with coaches on Dukas, and strings/brass/percussion with me: [32] to retenu after [40] and [47 to 56]

Rehearsal plan for 10/22/23

  • 4:00pm-5:00pm: Music for an Imaginary Cartoon (final version)
  • 5:00pm-5:30pm: Dukas
  • 5:30pm-5:45pm: break
  • 5:45pm-6:30pm: Poor Unfortunate Souls
  • 6:30pm-7:00pm: Totoro

Finally, check out this article about MYS on Oregon ArtsWatch

Happy practicing and see you Sunday!

Dr. G. 

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Rehearsal plan for 10/15/23 | MYS Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by Raúl Gómez-Rojas

[back to blog home]

Hi everybody! We are now essentially a month away from our concert. By now, you should have had individual practice sessions of the entire repertoire. If you haven’t, please catch up ASAP!
We only have 4 more Sunday rehearsals before the concert. Individual preparation is crucial.

Recap: 10/8/23

  • Tutti: First read-through of YCP’s Music for an Imaginary Cartoon
  • Sectionals: brass worked with their coaches, and the rest of the orchestra worked with me on The Little Mermaid and Poor Unfortunate Souls.

Rehearsal plan for 10/15/23

4:00pm-5:30pm:

  • Tutti minus percussion: Mussorgsky
  • Mr. Schlossman with percussionists

5:45pm-7:00pm:

  • Last week of sectionals for the term. Please focus on Dukas.
    • Flutes
    • Oboes
    • Clarinets
    • Bassoons
    • Strings, brass and percussion with me.

Happy practicing and see you Sunday!

Dr. G. 

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