Though they all live on the West Coast at the moment, they come from every corner of the globe and speak Mandarin, Korean, German, Japanese, Cantonese, French and English in their homes.
None of that matters when the members of the Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra and the players from the WVYB Strings and Sinfonia join forces to make the West Coast Youth Sinfonia.
This is the second season that conductors Kathleen Hovey and Edette Gagné have combined their youth orchestra for workshops and performances. Last season, this collaboration allowed their players to work with the Afiara String Quartet, while this year the youth spent part of their February workshop with Infinitus Trio.
For the first time in the history of both ensembles, the players will compete at the Con Brio Music Festival in Whistler. Besides their graded performance, they will receive three hours of clinic time with world-class conductors and participate in the world premiere of a transcription of Bruckner's Ave Maria by Vancouver musician Mark Reid.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., the West Coast Youth Sinfonia will bring their Whistler tour repertoire and a few extra surprises to the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse Theatre for you to enjoy. The program Shall We Dance features dance inspired music from ancient to folk to modern times - truly something for everyone.
If you ask the young players what they enjoy most about the collaboration of these two ensembles, they quickly tell you: getting to play with other string players, meeting the players from the Coast and Vancouver, and getting to play in a large ensemble. If that doesn't prove the universal power of music to build bridges and forge relationships, we don't know what does.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students available at Laedeli in Sunnycrest Mall, Gaia's Fair Trade in Lower Gibsons, Strait Music in Sechelt and Bluewaters Books in Madeira Park.
-Submitted
