In Monday’s (1/10) Vancouver Sun, Melissa Leong writes, “Aysha Wills takes a deep breath and presses her fingers to her mouth, as if in thought, or to steel herself. The 16-year-old then grips her flute, licks her lips and starts to play an excerpt from Mendelssohn’s ‘A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.’ She has been rehearsing these chattering, lively notes, among others, for six weeks, five hours a day, in preparation for this audition. The National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s summer program is known as ‘orchestra boot camp’ or ‘Glee on steroids,’ according to the publicist, and Wills is one of 500 candidates trying out this month across the country. … Inside a small classroom at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, Frank Morphy watches the students audition. … An oboe player in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Morphy was a member of the youth orchestra in 1960. (More than 40 per cent of Canadian orchestra musicians are NYOC alumni.) … The 100 chosen students, aged 16 to 28, will train six days a week, from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., from June to August. … Aside from workshops on orchestra etiquette and rehearsals, the students will perform a cross-Canada tour with Jonathan Darlington, music director of the Vancouver Opera, as their conductor.”
Posted January 11, 2011
