News
For Immediate Release
February 28, 2017
Moncton NB: Eight New Brunswick Youth Orchestra musicians will be in Mexico City this March Break for an experience of a lifetime. The talented young people have been invited to be part of an international orchestra, spearheaded by world-renowned conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our talented young musicians,” says Ken MacLeod, CEO of the NBYO. “There are 14 musicians invited from Canada and eight are from the NBYO. They will learn from the most talented leaders in orchestral music and will perform with 150 other young musicians from across the Americas.”
The eight NBYO musicians attending are Gawon Suh (violin) of Quispamsis, and from the greater Moncton area, Grace Hamilton (trombone), Erica Fisher (viola), Chloe Brubacher (double bass), Vincent Mambo (cello), Zoë LeBlanc (French horn) Jocelyn Blanchette (percussion) and Isaac Phi (bassoon).
As part of the tour, a four-day workshop will be led by Maestro Dudamel, the great Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and other world-class coaches from leading European and American orchestras.
The four days of rehearsal will culminate in a performance at the National Theatre, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, in Mexico City. One piece of the repertoire is Márquez’ “Alas a Malala” (Wings for Malala), a piece inspired by the young Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafsai, the Pakistani champion for education as a fundamental right.
The project unites the Americas through young people and through music, with students participating from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the United States and Canada.
The El Sistema Connection
Five of the NBYO musicians attending have learned to play their instruments through the Sistema NB program, which now operates 9 centres across the province. Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Fomento program will also be hosting events and activities. Sistema programs around the world are social change programs that create opportunities for young people, who might never have the opportunity, to learn to play a musical instrument.
“The Sistema NB program is the largest of its kind in Canada,” says MacLeod. “By creating these opportunities, we are effecting change and providing young people with the life skills they need when they become adults.”
About the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra
The mission of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra is to inspire children and youth to achieve their full potential through learning and performing orchestral music. The NBYO is one of the most innovative and distinguished youth orchestras in Canada, and features some of the province’s most talented young musicians. The NBYO has performed in some of the world’s great concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, The Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China and the Musikverein, the home stage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in Vienna, Austria. In 2011, the Orchestra was awarded first place in the category of Symphony Orchestra at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. It has six CD recordings and has received an East Coast Music Award for best classical recording. In addition to performing with a high level of excellence, the Orchestra continues to commission original works, collaborate with guest conductors and performers, and tour both in New Brunswick, Canada and internationally.
The NBYO’s key goals are to develop an outstanding provincial youth orchestra, expand the participation of young people, and create greater awareness and appreciation for orchestral music in New Brunswick. For more information about the orchestra, members and upcoming events across the province, visit www.nbyo-ojnb.com
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For more information:
Mariam Mesbah
Director of Marketing and Communications
New Brunswick Youth Orchestra
