The cymbals crash followed by a sweet melody by the violins, as a soothing murmur from the cellos calms the symphony and the music fades. Members of the South Bay Youth Orchestra will perform in a talent show fund raiser for a night of fun for all ages on Saturday at 7 p.m.A variety of performers ranging from ages 8 to 18 are collaborating for the event.
“They can juggle, they can tell jokes and it’s fun to show the other side of them outside of the orchestra that we never get to see,” Cosima Luther, principal conductor of the South Bay Youth Orchestra said. “This talent show is very important because it creates a sense of unity in the community.”
Musical performances by the orchestra, dance numbers and solo performances will be featured.
“The idea is to have a fundraiser where the students are actually involved with the event, so that they’re the show and they bring people to watch them perform,” Patrick Schulz, SBYO Artistic Director said.
The once large orchestra is now close to the smallest sized group it has ever been. This may be the result of the $300 tuition fee that is needed to keep the organization running, Schulz said. Once a class offered at EC, budget cuts have made it part of EC’s Community Education program. Since Honda is no longer sponsoring the program, Schulz said they are also looking for new sponsors. EC, Schulz said, has been generous with providing free rehearsal space for the orchestra.
“The arts right now are struggling a lot with the current economy and we are affected by that. We want to keep this an affordable orchestra for students,” Luther said.
Established in 1995 by William Doyle, music professor, elementary to high school students learn various music styles including jazz, classic and contemporary. Students also perform with renowned musicians.
“We service a wide range of ages and abilities from so many different schools,” Luther said.
The EC Society of Music is hosting the event, which will take place at the Haag Recital Hall.
“Our role is to support young musicians because we were all young musicians once who had someone help cultivate our interests and skills in music,” Yilin Hsu-Wentlandt, Society of Music vice president said. “We wanted to do our part so that the SBYO could keep the organization going.”
In addition to the bi-annual recitals that SBYO members perform on campus, this new event is meant to help members bond as well as ease the tension of performing.
“Music has the power to draw so many people together from such different places,” Luther said. “I hope friendships will be made out of this.”
Tickets cost $12 at the door. More information can be found at www.sbyorchestra.com.
