Tanglewood Comes to Town
Young Artists Orchestra to perform at the Hatch Shell July 30
Being a teenager can be a challenge unto itself — and often more so for kids who prefer music to MySpace. But at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), an eight-week summer program that draws many of the country’s best young classical performers, serious musicianship is the name of the game.
“You learn so much more, and so much faster than you would back home,” says Cindy Simpson, 17, a high school student from Alabama who is enjoying her second summer at BUTI. “You are surrounded by amazing people and make amazing friends — the whole experience makes you more determined, more serious about your music.”
The program, which this summer counts 340 students, starts in mid-June, and offers a variety of programs, ranging from a six-week orchestra session to a two-week percussion workshop. Students, who audition for spots at the institute, range in age from 15 to 18 and hail from all over the U.S. and seven foreign countries.
This season — the institute’s 43rd — the Young Artists Orchestra (YAO) has been invited to perform in the Landmarks Festival at the Hatch Shell in Boston on Wednesday, July 30. Guest conductor Paul Haas, a Tanglewood Institute alumnus, will lead the orchestra as they perform excerpts from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung and Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.”
“The best part about working with these kids is their energy and sense of commitment,” says Haas, whose conducting engagements have included performances with the San Antonio Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. “They have a love of making music that permeates every single session.”
The Young Artists Orchestra performs at the Landmarks Festival at the Shell, at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade on Wednesday, July 30, at 7 pm. The concert is free and open to the public. For information about a rain location visit their Web site or call 617-520-2200.
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