Upon its fresh start in 2008, Onnuri Vision Ensemble (OVE) started off its fourth annual term on February 5th, 2012. OVE has been a youth orchestra within Irvine Onnuri Church under the direction of Conductor Young-Shin Lee. Consisting of about thirty members of middle school through high school students, OVE dedicates each individual’s time for weekly rehearsals every Sunday from 4:30pm through 6:30pm. It is highly engaged in community services such as senior home visit performances and annual charity concerts for donations to homeless people.
This orchestra is “a musical gift to the community,” the concertmaster of OVE, Andrew Han, explains, “We create melodies as we practice in order to perform in front of other people, and we try to help out in any way we can with our instruments.” The concertmaster actively engages in the orchestra in order to “to make other people feel just as enthusiastic as we should be.” Even when the organization is led by responsible leaders like Thomas Yoo, the president of OVE, and Andrew Han, the concertmaster, there are some inevitable difficulties within most organizations. “For starters, the attendance level used to be really low, since many considered this [organization] to be just an easygoing volunteer service that they can come whenever they feel like it,” Andrew Han said. One of the first violins in OVE, Grace Kim, further added to this difficulty, “We cannot polish music unless everyone is there.” They both emphasized that participation is one of the most important factors in music groups.
This musical group helps further influences players’ lives, allowing them more experiences in music. Andrew says, “It really helps me get in touch with my musical side, as I barely have time to practice as much as I used to. It also allows me to truly express my abilities through music.” Grace adds, “I learn from others who have great expression of emotions [when playing music].” A variety of music levels, starting from an elementary level to nearly-professional level, allows players cooperate by learning from higher levels and teaching the lower levels.
Players in OVE learned much more beyond just musical skills and values. “My motivation for being a part of this orchestra used to be that when I auditioned, I had a chance at the concertmaster spot. All throughout my life, I was outmatched and outplayed by some of the greatest young violin players I had ever seen or heard in school and the community. I figured it was finally my turn for a chance at the spotlight,” Even though OVE began as a musical group, it became beyond just an orchestra. “Now, despite the fact that I am on the first chair and met my goal, I see that my motivation is something entirely different. Here, at the Onnuri Vision Ensemble, I have another family. This “family” may not be my actual biological brethren, but they are certainly a part of me that keeps me going throughout all this,” Andrew testifies. After years of practices and performances, Andrew Han recalls those memories a good one. “My peers and I have been through a lot this past year. We volunteered at various sites such as a homeless shelter where we made hamburgers for the needy and a day care center where we performed some songs for the elderly. We performed at the two main concerts of the year, both being absolute successes. We were all able to bond with each other in that one year we were together in the same orchestra before auditions for another year were in progress.
“Now that there is a completely new roster with some familiar faces, it’s time that we bond again and start fresh to make the orchestra just as successful.”
Tiffany Ha Yeung Yang
Senior in Yorba Linda High School. Editor of Community Services of the JSR Program. Features reporter in Wranglers Newspaper.
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