After countless hours of practice and tiresome rehearsals, talented young musicians from the Rocky Mountain region delighted the crowd Sunday at the Denver Young Artists Orchestra Association’s 40th anniversary at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts in Denver.
For 40 years, the orchestra has worked to nurture the talents of musicians and support their passion for music by encouraging them to become the best they can be.
“Itap fun to be with friends and enjoy at the level that we are at,” said Annalise Schroeder, 15, who plays the viola. “The performance is going to be great because of the level of talent within our group.”
The concert hall was full of proud parents and family members who had come to see their children play at the event. Many of the kids said this was the best and most important concert they had ever been part of.
“The magnitude of this concert is the biggest of my life,” Owen Eichenseer, 15, said. “I’m playing with high-quality people.”
Eichenseer says he practices the French horn for almost two hours a day and has been preparing for this concert for over three months. With his tuxedo in place and all nervousness aside, Eichenseer joined his friends backstage to prepare for “the best concert.”
Karin Hagler of Denver was proud to see both of her grandnieces play Sunday. She was overjoyed by their effort and dedication to music and by how far they had come.
“Since Eva was a little girl, she loved the cello,” Hagler said. “The cello became part of her body. She moves with the cello; itap part of her. She practices every day, and she strove to get that first chair.”
The concert began by introducing the String Ensemble, which played a song from Gerald Finzi and two other pieces, including one from Astor Piazzolla. After a long applause from the public, members of the Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Gilmore, took their seats and mesmerized the audience by playing the music of composer Richard Wagner.
Gilmore then surprised the audience by announcing the orchestra would conduct itself for the following piece, by Franz Joseph Haydn. Even without the help of the conductor, the orchestra performed gracefully.
The concert ended with a challenging and intricate piece by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which ended with enthusiastic applause.
“We’ve been supporting the DYAO for the last several years,” said Jody Brotherston, who came to support her granddaughter. “They practice so hard. They are teaching these young people how to be professionals.”
