Our Voice

With our first recording session tomorrow morning, and the tour only days away, I thought it was about time to write up some thoughts about this year's National Youth Orchestra. 

To date, we have all had an incredible and very intense month of preparation for our upcoming concerts.  With almost a hundred musicians, there is an amazing collision of ideas, talent, and personalities.  It is certainly impossible to leave such an experience unchanged. 

The other night, I had a conversation with two young musicians about what makes our musical "message" special.  As emerging artists, we are often told that life experience is required to make moving music.  Yet, here we are, most of us still in school, all still young in the span of most lives.  And our music moves people; at least it certainly moves me.  We believe that being young does not prevent accessing a depth of emotion.  In fact, because of our youth, perhaps there are fewer layers to dig through to reach this depth.  And so we offer as much of ourselves as we can, with the hope that there will be people to hear us.

I hope that you will all hear our offering on Wednesday night.

Christine Carter    

Posted by Christine Carter on July 22, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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Comments

Hey Christine,

Don't forget, it's not really young people's music. NYO is more akin to playing covers of pieces written and previously performed by great musicians. Young, idealistic musicians have a sense of purpose and grandeur about their music far out of proportion to its actual importance. Good effort though.

Rodney

Posted by: Rodney | Jun 19, 2008 2:30:46 PM

Hey Christine,

Don't forget, it's not really young people's music. NYO is more akin to playing covers of pieces written and previously performed by great musicians. Young, idealistic musicians have a sense of purpose and grandeur about their music far out of proportion to its actual importance. Good effort though.

Rodney

Posted by: Rodney | Jun 19, 2008 2:32:17 PM

I am proud of the spark and "sense of purpose" that NYO musicians consistently display, and the humility with which they carry themselves. This is an orchestra that gives every last ounce of their energy to serve music and its effect on people, it is not an orchestra of ego inflation.
Young generations would be far more apt to thrive if their "sense of purpose" could be encouraged and cultivated rather than criticized.
"Great musicians" all start somewhere.

Posted by: Christine | Jun 19, 2008 3:03:37 PM

Well said Christine. I don't think I would have dignified this comment with a response.

Posted by: Erin | Jun 20, 2008 6:39:39 PM