Associate Conductor and BSYO Artistic Director
Nicholas Hersh leads the Youth Orchestra.
Artistic Vision
According to Hersh, the result of this collection of orchestras and
access is a pipeline of exceptional skill and experience. “I treat the
Youth Orchestra as a pre-professional ensemble, which involves
playing difficult repertoire like complete 50-minute symphonies,”
explains Hersh. “Many of the students will go on to pursue a career
in music and will continue to perform these works with orchestras, so
we’re able to give them a head start.”
In addition to Hersh’s high artistic expectations, his goals for the
BSYO also speak to a non-musical greater purpose: using music to
help the students become more creative, sensitive and well-rounded.
“We provide a musical outlet for students who have the talent to
partake in this kind of experience,” he explains. “Playing at this level
requires the students to focus on skills like cooperation and leadership.
It requires intense diligence, personal accountability and team
building. These are skills that not only benefit the students musically,
but also in all of life.”
“Many of the students start out very introverted. But through the
experience of collaborating and playing with the group, they become
more outgoing and we start to see friendships develop.”
This was the case for Matthew Miller, a high school senior and oboist
and English horn player, who joined the BSYO in seventh grade.
“At first, I felt it was difficult to fit in. I had ‘imposter’s syndrome’:
I felt, I’m not good enough to be here!” he candidly recounts. “But I
kept practicing and got some really big solos that I had to audition
for. I got more confident and started branching out more. A lot of my
peers at school don’t share my intense musical pursuit, so it’s nice to
find friends who share this interest.”
In addition to being an exceptional musician, Matthew also
devotes his time to an internship at the National Institute of Health.
Ultimately, he plans to double major in music and neuroscience.
Hersh hypothesizes that the diligence required for learning music
spills into other areas of their lives.
For example, CO violist Madison Strempek is a rising celebrity
thanks to her critically acclaimed book, Everyone Makes Mistakes:
Living with Your Daddy in Jail, which chronicles how she came to
terms with her father’s incarceration.
“When I was 10 years old, my dad went to jail. I was devastated
when my mom told me,” explains Madison. “My mom tried to find
resources to help me through it but all she could find was advice for
really little kids. So I took it upon myself to write a book to help
others like me!”
That book has earned Madison awards and invitations to speaking
engagements around the world, including at the White House and a
conference in New Zealand.
Madison says music was one of the things that helped her through
this emotional journey as well as connect to her dad.
“When my dad was in jail, it was hard to connect. You can just be
there and talk, so we talked about music. Or when he would call, I
would play violin and we could ‘nerd out’ about music!” says Madison.
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BSO Cellist Lachezar Kostov with BSYO Student
Jeffrey Li during a side-by-side rehearsal.
BSYO
Performance
Schedule
Orchestra Concert #1
Sunday, November 24,
Carver Center
2:30 pm Cello Choirs, String
and Concert Orchestras
5:30 pm Youth Orchestra
Chamber Recital #1
Thursday, January 23,
Meyerhoff Lobby
7 pm BSYO Chamber Groups
Orchestra Concert #2
Sunday, March 1
Carver Center
2:30 pm Cello Choirs, String
and Concert Orchestras
5:30 pm Youth Orchestra
Chamber Recital #2
Tuesday, May 5,
Meyerhoff Lobby
7 pm BSYO Chamber Groups
Orchestra Concert #3
Sunday, May 17, Meyerhoff
7:30 pm String, Concert
and Youth Orchestras
“That was a hard time. But when I played music or rehearsed with the
BSYO, I forgot about the sadness for a moment; the music just took
over, and I was happy.”
At the BSYO’s final concert last May, Runa Matsushita took the
stage to perform the solo in Paganini’s First Concerto. When Hersh
gave the downbeat, the Youth Orchestra responded with a confident,
forte swell of sound.
When Runa’s solo began, her warm tone reverberated through the
hall. Her lightning-fast fingering on the cadenzas, perfectly tuned
pianissimo high notes and soaring melodies were expertly supported
by the BSYO. To watch the BSYO’s joyful, skilled music-making,
audience members would be forgiven for believing that these were
indeed professionals, not students, up on that stage.
THIS SUMMER, the BSYO embarks on a European tour, self-funded by participants, on June 22
through July 3, 2020! The BSYO will visit Italy, Slovenia, Austria and Germany. They will perform
by invitation at the Ultrapadum Festival in Milan, Italy; at the Summer Festival in Old Town,
Ljubljana, Slovenia; and at the Grosser Saal Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Their horizons
will be broadened as they visit historical landmarks and attend concerts at some of the
world’s premier venues. Bon voyage, BSYO!
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