ESYO’S 2022-2023 SEASON BEGINS WITH A SPRINKLE OF SOMETHING NEW!

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

Schenectady, NY - Empire State Youth Orchestra, known regionally and nationally as a leader in ensemble-based music education, announced its 2022-2023 season. The new season, which spans from September through early June, features thirty unique performances, fourteen ESYO ensembles and CHIME, hundreds of young musicians from upstate New York and western New England, and thousands of hours of dedicated rehearsal time. The season begins on Sunday, October 30th at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall with ESYO's flagship Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven's 7th Symphony, a work Beethoven described as the "glory of light through darkness." The concert also features Gabriella Smith's Field Guide, a percussive musical safari into the natural world.

Marking his first season as Music Director, conductor, creative entrepreneur, and classical pioneer Etienne Abelin sees this season as a new movement in ESYO's four-decade history. "The season builds upon what makes the ESYO experience so unique," said Abelin. "It challenges the most passionate young musicians in the region to see music-making as a joyful pursuit of musical excellence. This new season will carry this hallmark with a sprinkling of something new," he continued.

Abelin, whose musical career has spanned the globe and included performances with famed conductors like Claudio Abbado and Pierre Boulez and cutting edge artists such as Fabrizio Cassol, and Gabriel Prokofiev, sees the vital role youth orchestras play in our communities. "They are connectors and bridges. They are about presencing and being in the here and now," he said. "Orchestras are storytellers," Abelin continued. These ideas are rooted in what Abelin calls MusicNOW, a philosophy curated by Abelin that combines existing and emerging ideas, approaches, and exercises to reawaken and nourish dimensions of music education that are often underdeveloped in musicians today. MusicNOW transforms musicians into movers, connectors, storytellers, improvisers, and creators. These dimensions influence musicianship by being a counterpoint to the rigid perfectionism often seen in orchestras. "It allows for more risk-taking, which is at the heart of creativity," said Abelin. "It connects music to the movement of our bodies and emotions. It brings a sparkle to our eyes while we breathe together and listen intently to each other," he continued. Etienne has earned an international reputation as a classical pioneer, and looks forward to reimagining classical music in a way that connects the music to the “now” and puts youth in the driver’s seat. MusicNOW expands our understanding of excellence.

Elements of MusicNOW were unveiled at a weeklong residency by Woodstock-based composer and Soundpainting inventor, Walter Thompson. Soundpainting is an innovative composing sign language that connects music with movement using more than 1500 gestures to compose music live, at the moment, with other musicians, dancers, actors and visual artists. Symphony Orchestra Violist Peyton Roach was one of the first ESYO musicians to try her hand at Soundpainting. “Soundpainting at Frost Valley was a very unique experience,” said Roach. “It was like playing a game. Each gesture from the soundpainter directly translates to an action that the musicians perform.” Throughout the year, ESYO will host Soundpainting ensembles and collaborative workshops featuring guest artists and experts in storytelling, creative movement, breathing, and improvisation. Audiences can experience soundpainting at most of ESYO’s concerts, including Opening Day with ESYO Symphony Orchestra on October 30, 2022.

The season also features the return of CBS's Melodies of Christmas after a two-year pause, performances by ESYO's new student-led Chamber Orchestra, ESYO's Annual Young People's Concert on March 8th, and the Lois Lyman Concerto Competition. The season concludes on June 4, 2023 at Carnegie Hall, a fitting finale to an exciting season. Throughout, audiences will experience many elements of MusicNOW with fun and spontaneous encore performances. Young musicians interested in joining ESYO this season, may audition for ESYO by attending an open rehearsal this fall or attending the ESYO’s Open Audition at Proctors on Friday, September 30 or Saturday, October 1, 2022. Auditions are held each fall to fill vacancies in certain ensembles. To learn more about joining esyo.org/join.

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