The Santa Rosa Symphony’s youth ensembles—including the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra, Debut Youth Orchestra, String Orchestra Workshop, and Aspirante Youth Orchestra—have kept busy throughout the pandemic, rehearsing and performing indoors, outdoors, and via Zoom, as health protocols dictate. The advanced-level Young People’s Chamber Orchestra, a conductorless group guided by Music Director Aaron Westman, uses hybrid rehearsals: most musicians meet in person while others join remotely. On the schedule for this spring is a concert with SRS Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong as a guest soloist on harpsichord, and a recording session is planned for the fall. In addition, the May concert included a redwood violin made from locally sourced materials by Santa Rosa violin maker Andrew Carruthers. Two young composers from Santa Rosa Symphony youth ensembles have begun work on compositions for the instrument. Meanwhile, the Simply Strings program for third graders in the Roseland School District is launching outdoor sessions for students who have not met in person this season.
The following are corrections to an item about the Santa Rosa Symphony’s youth ensembles that appeared on page 5 of the Spring Issue of Symphony. Santa Rosa Symphony Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong was a guest soloist, playing harpsichord, at a May concert by the Young People’s Chamber Orchestra; he did not conduct the concert. The young musicians did not participate in the actual creation of the redwood violin, made by a local luthier, that was played at the concert. After the Spring Issue of Symphony went to press, the Santa Rosa Symphony announced that Gwendolyn Przyjazna, a member of a SRS youth ensemble, would compose a concertino for violin and strings for the redwood violin to premiere at a Young People’s Chamber Orchestra concert, played by Co-concertmaster Aedan Seaver.
