YOUTH SYMPHONY OF SOUTHERN OREGON
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Mission Statement
The Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon (YSSO) organization provides exceptional training and performance opportunities under the guidance of a professional conductor and professional musicians and fosters lifelong appreciation of classical music and the arts. Founded in 1988, the YSSO provides opportunities for accomplished and aspiring young instrumental musicians to learn and perform standard repertoire, masterworks, new and commissioned music, concerti, music from film, musical theater and opera, as well as arrangements and chamber music. The YSSO provides access to high-level music education and performance opportunities; develops music technique, as well as interpretive, performance and ensemble-playing skills; builds lifelong skills such as teamwork, discipline, empathy, social cohesion, rapport, focus; works with professional musicians, arts organizations, educators and cultural networks; supplements music programs in schools; develops audiences; and improves the quality of life in communities through cultural enrichment.
About This Cause
The Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon believes that music must be part of a comprehensive education, that music has instrumental value in learning and achievement, and that music and the arts contribute to successful communities. The YSSO believes music should be available to all without regard for cultural, geographic or economic considerations. It is the policy of the organization that all qualified musicians may participate regardless of financial circumstances. The organization is dedicated to professional management, thoughtful governance, artistic quality, community service, and careful stewardship of resources. The YSSO operates with integrity and care. The organization has a board-approved non-discrimination policy and DEI statement of beliefs and principles. The YSSO organization welcomes young people from diverse backgrounds and localities. The positive learning environment and inspiring performances make connections across cultures and time. Participation in the YSSO develops music technique and interpretive skills, as well as lifelong habits and attributes such as empathy, discipline, focus, and respect. The Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon has grown from one ensemble to an organization with multiple orchestras, soloists and chamber music groups. The staff includes a part-time music director and conductor, part-time orchestra assistant, a full-time executive director and a part-time executive (office) assistant. Professional musicians and adjudicators assist with auditions and mentoring. A volunteer governing board of community members guides the YSSO. The season has expanded from three concerts to a full season of multiple performances of masterworks, standard repertoire, commissioned music, concerti, arrangements and chamber music. In response to the pandemic, the organization pivoted to virtual classes and music programs, and live-streamed concerts. Following the nearly 18 month hiatus, the organization returned to in-person concerts for the 2021-2022 concert season. Musicians from throughout the region (ages 6 to 23) participate each season. The Youth Orchestra (intermediate level) and Youth Symphony (advanced level) involve elementary, middle and high school musicians, home school students and college students with diverse technical, musical and interpretive skills. Musicians from throughout southern Oregon and the surrounding region participate each year. YSSO musicians pursue academics, athletics and community service in addition to participating in supplemental community programs such as the Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon. Alumni have studied music at colleges, universities, academies and conservatories throughout the country. Former musicians have received undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and numerous other disciplines/fields. YSSO musicians have been selected to participate in Carnegie Hall’s (Weill Institute) National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. YSSO musicians are role models in schools and communities, and they are lifelong arts advocates. Concerts feature orchestral music by Dvorak, Beethoven, Mahler, Higdon, Vaughan Williams, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Hovhaness, Tchaikovsky, Reich, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bernstein, Villa-Lobos, Adams, Beach, Rutter, and many others, as well as chamber music, film scores, orchestral/choral music, musical theater and opera literature. YSSO ensembles have performed works by more than 135 composers. The YSSO commissions music as well. Crater Lake Fantasy: Another Sky at Our Feet, a suite by Mark Eliot Jacobs, the most recent commission, premiered in 2015. Performances are presented in professional and community venues and individuals of all ages attend the concerts. During the 30th Anniversary Concert Season in 2017-2018, for example, a total of seven ticketed Concert Series performances were presented at the Collier Center’s Craterian Theater in Medford, the Oregon Center for the Arts Recital Hall at Southern Oregon University in Ashland and the Performing Arts Center in Grants Pass. Three Community Outreach Concerts were presented at the Rogue Valley Manor. A concert by the Youth Symphony & Youth Symphony Alumni was presented in December to celebrate the organization's anniversary season. The YSSO holds its annual Concerto Competition for advanced Youth Symphony musicians each January. During the abbreviated 2019-2020 season, the YSSO presented live concerts until in-person rehearsals and concerts were suspended due to the pandemic. The following season, 2020-2021, the organization offered virtual online lecture classes, masterclasses, and a music theory course for its musicians, as well as three live-streamed concerts at a large retirement community, and an online recording project for the musicians participating in a virtual full orchestra. Revenue for operations, concerts, initiatives and special programming is generated through annual gifts from individuals, foundation/agency grants, Concert Series program advertising, Concert Series Partner (sponsor) funding, tuition, ticket sales, fund raising events, and investments. In an age of electronic communication, arts participation offers opportunities to connect the past and present, and develop social bonds. Music resonates – literally and figuratively – throughout communities and with constituencies of all ages. The current public health crisis has had an enormous impact on families, communities, businesses, organizations, and schools. It has also highlighted the importance and value of human interaction. Whether a musician becomes an engineer, educator, epidemiologist, public administrator, nurse, physician, civic or faith leader, parent, volunteer, agronomist, attorney, accountant or astronaut, she/he will be a better citizen having mastered intellectual and technical challenges, by learning to listen, and though working with a team. The YSSO also cultivates workforce skills, nurtures discipline, and molds habits and behavior. Music collaborations refine interpersonal skills and improve cognition. The YSSO increases access to cultural offerings and enriches school programs. The musicians demonstrate the value of the arts in learning. The YSSO helps attract and retain families and contributes to the success of Oregon communities. The YSSO organization is the only organization in the region providing opportunities for aspiring young brass, woodwind, string and percussion musicians from multiple counties to come together to learn and perform diverse, challenging music for orchestra and chamber music groups. Each season, the YSSO receives requests for financial assistance from a significant number of musicians/families. Typically, 35-40 percent or more of the musicians receive tuition waivers and/or lesson assistance each season. Typically, 900-1000+ complimentary tickets/vouchers are distributed to teachers, students, YSSO musicians and others in order to encourage attendance and expand access.