Taking Musical Education to New Heights

COSTA MESA- Teenagers holding instrument cases could be seen walking towards the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on Tuesday, Mar. 13. These young musicians were members of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO), which held its traditional “Concert for Fifth Graders.” The orchestra’s repertoire included works such as, Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome,” Farr’s “From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs,” and Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” complete with an opera singer. The OCYSO played two concerts during the day to a concert hall filled with eager and excited fifth graders.

The critically- acclaimed concert series has been educating young children for more than 20 years. Through twelve concerts every year, the orchestra has successfully enlightened and entertained an averagae of 16,000 fifth graders each year according to the OCYSO’s official website.

The OCYSO is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to, “introduce great music into the lives of young people,” as the website states. The orchestra only accepts musicians who undergo an audition process held at the Chapman Conservatory of Music. Musicians range from eighth graders to college students, all of whom are enrolled in their respective school’s music program, which is a requirement for participation in the orchestra. The common bond that unites the disparate musicians is a love for the music they play.

“The ‘Concerts for Fifth Graders’ were developed as a means to introduce classical music into the classroom where students may not have been involved in this type of music,” said Jacob Vogel, the director of artistic and orchestra operations and the coordinator of winds and brass for the OCYSO. “These concerts are a wonderful opportunity for students to perform for younger students, and the effect is immeasurable.”

The overall efficiency and fluidity of the orchestra is thanks in no small part to the director, Maestro Daniel Alfred Wachs. The maestro has a very accomplished résumé which includes conducting the Cincinnati Opera and attending The Curtis Institute of Music as well as The Julliard School.

Wachs is one of the few conductors balancing the demands of a professional and academic career, as the music director of the Chapman Chamber Orchestra and as the conductor of the OCYSO. He uses the experiences and lessons he learned from years of leading professional orchestras for the weekly OCYSO rehearsals.

“Daniel Alfred Wachs is one of the most stunningly impressive conductors I have ever worked for,” said Vogel. “His ability to demand perfection while still yearning for an emotional response is astounding.”

During the concert, information about music and instruments seen in the orchestra, is incorporated into the dialogue between Wachs and the opera singer. As the orchestra and its leader interact with the audience by asking questions about music, the knowledge of the students is expanded and broadened to include music, which has taken a back seat in terms of education in the recent years.

Students who attend the concert must, “under go an extensive music curriculum in their classes, which then culminates in the center performance,” said Vogel. The OCYSO has one more Concert for Fifth Graders this season and the performers look forward to it.

The OCYSO is currently in its 42nd season and is the official youth orchestra of Orange County. As the highest level of pre-professional orchestral training for young musicians in southern California, the music and amount of preparation and practice the OCYSO requires is both physically and mentally demanding. However, the Concert for Fifth Graders is something all the performers look forward to as a culmination of their hard work.

“I always pay attention to the magic that takes place when they learn something truly musical,” said Vogel. ” I truly hope that they could develop their own unique love for the music that they perform.”