Backstage with the
Baltimore Symphony
Youth Orchestras
BY L AU R A FA R M E R
B
altimore Symphony Youth Orchestras
(BSYO) Manager Alicia Kosack vividly
remembers when a shy first grade girl
named Runa Matsushita came to audition
for the BSYO.
“She was this quiet, sweet little thing. Her mom,
Yoriko, shared that it was her daughter’s first audition,”
remembers Kosack. “The next thing I know, I’m
hearing the Mendelssohn Concerto coming from the
audition room and I realize it was Runa!”
BSYO Violinist Runa Matsushita
Today, that pint-sized prodigy has grown into a
cheerful 13-year-old who continues to impress judges
and wow audiences. Most recently, she won the
2019 BSYO Concerto Competition performing the
At the youngest end of the BSYO-spectrum is the String
first movement of Paganini’s First Concerto, expertly navigating its
Orchestra (SO), conducted by Wesley Thompson, for musicians
notoriously high and fast sections and tricky double-harmonic passages.
in seventh grade and younger. The SO helps developing talented
The work was reprised as part of the BSYO’s spring concert.
string players master repertoire intended to challenge and inspire,
To accomplish such a feat, Runa devotes herself to an intense regimen
as well as building strong musicianship and technique—the
that includes an average of three hours of daily practice. Her dedication
foundation for orchestral playing.
is fueled by her joy and love for music.
The BSYO’s intermediate group is the Concert Orchestra (CO), which
“There’s something about music that goes beyond words,” says Runa.
offers the full orchestral experience for students in
“When words can’t explain all of the emotions
grades seven through ten. Led by MaryAnn Poling,
people are feeling, then they write music.”
the group performs original versions of major
Runa credits her training received from the
“Playing at this
masterworks, as well as arrangements of the classics
BSYO as an essential ingredient in the formula she
that are better suited to the teenaged musicians’
hopes will help her achieve her dream of becoming a
level requires
budding skills.
professional classical musician.
the students to
For older students, the Youth Orchestra (YO)
“When I play in the ensemble, it helps me to listen
lives
up to its designation as a “pre-professional”
and work as a group,” she says. “Performing with the
focus on skills like
ensemble. Led by BSO Associate Conductor and
BSYO helps me become a better musician.”
cooperation and
BSYO Artistic Director Nicholas Hersh, this full
orchestra is the BSYO’s most advanced and serves
About the BSYO
leadership.”
students in grades nine through twelve. The YO
The BSYO has helped thousands of kids like Runa
— NICHOLAS HERSH
performs standard orchestral repertoire as well as
become better musicians since its founding nearly
contemporary music by living composers.
four decades ago. The organization was previously
All BSYO students also have the opportunity to
the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, which
participate in chamber ensembles plus various instrument choirs.
was founded in 1977. In 2012, the BSO adopted the orchestra and
Auditions are required for all of the ensembles and participation is
renamed it the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. It is called
supported by annual tuition fees. Included in the price of tuition is a
“Orchestras,” plural, to account for the fact that the BSYO includes
free ticket through their BSO Access Pass to nearly any BSO concert,
three primary ensembles plus several additional chamber groups, all
and parents can attend at a discount. They also participate in a special
of which rehearse on Sunday afternoons at the George Washington
Youth Orchestra side-by-side rehearsal with the BSO.
Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Baltimore County.
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OV E R T U R E / BSOmusic.org