Winter 2012

Congratulations to the 2011-2012 CIYS Senior Solo Competition Winner, David Gerber!

David Gerber began playing the trombone at the age of nine and has two trombone teachers Dan Dietrich and Dr. Mark Babbitt. He currently plays in the Central Illinois Youth Symphony, the Peoria Jazz All Stars, and the Honors Brass Quintet. In the winter of 2009, Gerber switched from tenor trombone to perhaps the most prestigious instrument, bass trombone, which also happens to be the most obnoxious. On bass trombone, David entered the Eastern Trombone Workshop solo competition and was one of three high school bass trombonists picked in the nation to compete in Washington D.C. where he finished a runner-up. Gerber has participated in many IMEA festivals and other local honor bands. He plans on majoring in Music Education in college.

Marjorie and Elmer Szepessy Foundation Camp Scholarships Available!

Here is the opportunity for Prep, CICO and CIYS students to attend the summer music camp of their choice by taking advantage of our Szepessy Foundation endowment! The scholarship committee will accept applications through March 8th, 2012. Scholarships will be awarded at our Spring Orchestral Concert, with proceeds paid directly to the music camps on behalf of the student. All students are eligible to apply with the following exceptions: previous camp scholarship winners, graduating seniors and those not planning to be part of the CIYS organization next season.

To apply:

• Complete the Szepessy Scholarship Application and answer the required essay quiestions.
• Include a letter of recommendation from your school and private music teachers, stating your name and the instrument you play for that teacher.
• Mail the completed application and letter of recommendation to CIYS, PO Box 908, Morton, IL 61550.

Download Scholarship Application here >

CIYS will be hosting three guest artists this winter!

Thursday, January 12th:

Choosing and Preparing for a Career in Music Performance
6:006:45 p.m., First Mennonite Church in Morton
Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist and Roosevelt University string program director Richard Hirschl will present this informative music career seminar. Students of all orchestras, their parents, and
the public are invited to attend.

Youth Symphony String Sectionals with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
7:00 p.m., First Mennonite Church in Morton
Richard Hirschl, Cellist, and David Taylor, Assistant Concertmaster, of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Symphony strings on the Brahms Academic Overture.
will coach all Youth

George Stelluto, Peoria Symphony Orchestra Music Director conducts Youth Symphony
7:00 p.m., First Mennonite Church in Morton
Peoria Symphony Orchestra conductor George Stelluto will work first with Youth Symphony winds and percussion on the Brahms Academic Festival Overture, and then the orchestra as a whole at the end of the evening , in preparation for the Side-by-side with the PSO.

Thursday, February 16th

Jeff Holbrook, trumpeter with the Seoul Philharmonic (and CIYS alumnus!) will be conducting the BRASS ENSEMBLE during the second half of your rehearsal on February 16. Jeff will work with ALL Youth Symphony brass in a sectional on the Brahms Academic Overture from 6:40-7:30. He will then visit with the Concert Orchestra and Youth Symphony each, sharing the story of his journey from CIYS to Julliard to the Seoul Philharmonic.

Senior Solo Recital

The Senior Solo Recital has a new format this year and will take place on Saturday, April 28th at 2 p.m. at the First Federated Church of Peoria, located at 2601 N. Sheridan Road. The recital will be open to all seniors, whether or not you competed in the Senior Solo Competition. Groups are also welcome to play as well (it doesn’t have to be a solo piece). A small reception will be held after the recital. This is not required of all seniors, just something we would like to offer to all seniors. The Senior Solo Recital is free and open to the public. Come show your support for your fellow musicians! We hope to see you there!

A letter from CIYS Board President Janice Lukich

Greetings CIYS Families!
As we turn the calendar to a new year, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and take a look at what's yet to come.
Our enrollment currently stands at 152 students, with about a half dozen more auditioning for second semester: 57 students in the Youth Symphony; 50 students in Concert Orchestra, and 45 in Prep Orchestra. Our enrollment over the last 8 years has ranged from 158 to 180 students.
We began our season with a well-attended Barn Dance Social in August, organized by CIYS parents. Thanks to all who contributed to make it a very enjoyable event, especially our event coordinators, Peter Maksimovich and Claire Tschirn and the rest of their team. The parents helped raise $677 for CIYS, and this is very much appreciated!
Our Annual Fall Fundraiser, "A Night at the Movies", was held November 4 at the Cornerstone Building in Peoria. Over 175 people attended; the Brass Ensemble, String Quartets, Flute Choir and soloist, Adam Kujawa, entertained the crowd: and nearly $8,000 was the net profit for this event. Special thanks to Fundraiser Chairman, Andrea Cole, and her team of parent volunteers: Sue Boast, Ann Campen, and Wendy Rixstine, and all the event volunteers for a stellar job!
Our Small Ensembles performed for residents at two area retirement communities on November 6: Lutheran Hillside Village and The JC Proctor Endowment. The residents appreciated the young peoples' performances so much that they have been asked to return!
Our String Quartets were quite busy for a few weeks in December, performing at 4 different gigs in the Peoria area (including 2 events at the Peoria Country Club). Thank you string quartet members!
And we closed out the first half of our season with the sensational Fall Orchestral Concert on November 18. The students were truly inspirational, and all in attendance appreciated the creativity of the Youth Symphony in their encore presentation of music from "Pirates of the Caribbean"!
Looking ahead, we have a lot on the calendar for 2012! Be sure to check out the articles elsewhere in this newsletter about our January and February special guest artist events, and the Side-by-Side concert performance with the PSO in February. We owe thanks to the Community Foundation of Central Illinois for funding our visiting guest artists.
I'd like to challenge all of our membership to tell at least one student about your experience in the CIYS programs, and extend them an invitation them to join us. Our Annual Open House is scheduled for Thursday, March 29, and this is the perfect opportunity for interested students to learn more, and experience our orchestras first hand.
Our Spring Fundraiser will be another exciting raffle like we had last year, with the drawing held at the Spring Concert. Watch for details in the coming months...Students will again be offered incentive prizes for top ticket sales!
Finally, we will close out the year with our Small Ensembles Concert on April 15 at Illinois Central College, and Spring Orchestral Concert on April 22 at Metamora High School.
Thank you to our students, families, conductors, staff and board for making this the great organization it is!
Best,
Janice Lukich
CIYS Board President

CIYS Parent Organization

Jennifer Suau, Chairman,
CIYS Parent Organization
phone 691-6551 e-mail masuau@comcast.net

CIYS can earn a donation EVERY time you search the Internet and shop online!

Don't forget about the easy way you can support CIYS when you use the Internet. If you use www.goodsearch.com as your search engine, and designate Central Illinois Youth Symphony as your charity, EVERY time you search, we earn money! Likewise, use www.Goodshop.com, and a percentage of EVERY purchase you make will go to CIYS. Finally, if you shop at SheetMusicPlus.com or Amazon.com, please access those websites through at the link found on our homepage (www.ciys.org), and again, a percentage of you purchases will be donated to CIYS.

Youth Symphony side-by-side performance with Peoria Symphony Orchestra!

The Youth Symphony will be performing ON STAGE with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra at the Peoria Civic Center Theater on Saturday, February 18th at 8 pm. They will be performing Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, and select musicians who have gone through an audition process will also perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

Our students will be sitting next to and sharing stands with members of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra for this concert. In doing so, these students will have an incredible opportunity to work and perform with professional musicians, getting performance tips and learning what it takes to be a part of a professional orchestra. This experience is invaluable to the students and has always been a highlight of our season. Tickets for all CIYS organization families are just $10 for students and $20 for parents.

You will find a ticket order form on the last page of this newsletter. Just print it out and return it (with check payable to Peoria Symphony Orchestra) to an information table at our rehearsals no later than February 9, 2012. This seating for this concert often fills up quickly, so we encourage you to get your orders in early. We hope that all families of CIYS will consider attending this concert, even if your student is not yet in the Youth Symphony. What a great chance for you and other students to see some of our students up on the big stage!

WEATHER PLAN

For the latest information on the status of rehearsals on evenings where weather conditions may be questionable, a decision will be made no later than 4:00 p.m. A message will be accessible on the symphony phone line and also on the CIYS website. An email will also be sent out. In the event that rehearsals are cancelled, every effort will be made to have the cancellation posted on the local television event cancellation system as well.

AUDITION DATES FOR 2012-2013 SEASON

Thursday, May 3rd – Prep Auditions – All Instruments
Saturday, May 5th – Prep Auditions – Violins only
Thursday, May 10th– CICO and CIYS - String Auditions
Saturday, May 12th – CICO and CIYS - All instruments
Auditions will be at Bethel Lutheran Church in Morton by appointment only. May 12th auditions will be at Advent Lutheran Church in Morton.
Percussion auditions will be at
Bradley University’s Dingeldine Music Center.

For the complete Winter 2012 Newsletter including Conductors notes, guest artist bios & 2011-2012 Calendar . . .

CLICK HERE (685kb .pdf file)

The CIYS Newsletter is published twice yearly, in the Fall and in the Spring. If you have any articles of interest pertaining to your musical endeavors, summer camp experiences, musical research, etc. please submit them to one of our Board members or to our manager for consideration and use in an upcoming publication. You may also submit articles online to info@ciys.org.