Alachua County Youth Orchestra

Congratulations to Ally Mandese, winner of the Spring 2019 Concert poster contest. Her artwork graces our advertising and promotional materials for the Spring Concert.

Congratulations to Karla Mejias, winner of the David Hubbell Concerto Competition. Karla is a senior at EastsideHigh School and studies violin with Dr. Janna Lower. She first studied violin with Mrs. Sonnhild Kitts and later with Mrs. Stephanie Richeson. Karla participated in the Charleston InternationalMusic School, taking master classes with violinist Isaac Malkin; the Perlman Music Program; Philadelphia International Music Festival and Lancut Music Festival in Poland. Last summer she was offered a scholarship to attend Indiana University Summer String Academy and the Sphinx Performance Academy at Curtis Institute of Music. She also went to the 16th Internationale Sommerakademie für Kammermusikauf in Zwingenberg, Germany under the tutelage of Prof. Jacek Klimkiewicz. Karla has won several violin competitions, including the FSTA Concerto Competition Intermediate String where she placed 2nd and the Dorothy Reaves String Award- FPM 1st Place winner. Next July Karla will participate again in the Sphinx Solo Performance Academy taking place at Juilliard School of Music. Karla feels that music is and will always be an important part of her life, as she plans to study music performance in college.

January 14, 2019

Dear Musicians and Families,

Rehearsals for the Spring Concert have commenced, and I write with a few announcements.

1. Tee shirts will be delivered to musicians at the rehearsal on this Sunday, January 20, 2019. Tee shirts will also be sold at the Spring Concert for $20 (cash or check).
2. There is still time to order CDs of the Winter Concert. Click here to order yours.
3. If you or someone you know would like to donate to the Alachua County Youth Orchestra, please visit our online donation site here. All contributions go directly toward the operating expenses for the orchestra, especially for the rental fees for our venues and for sheet music. We appreciate any level of support you can provide.
4. There are still opportunities to volunteer to provide minuet meals. Sign up here for a shift!
5. Poster designs are due February 24; information here.
6. Rehearsal will be abbreviated on February 3 (Super Bowl Sunday; no snack provided). There will be no rehearsal on March 31 (in observance of SBAC Spring Break).
7. There will be two re-seating auditions: March 3 and April 14. Practice, practice, practice!

Finally, we would like to extend an invitation to parents to join the board of directors for the 2019-2020 season. As a board member, you will get to know other parents; you’ll see the operation of the orchestra from the inside; you will have the satisfaction of helping nearly 100 young musicians realize their potential; and you will be giving the gift of music to the Gainesville community. We meet on the first Sunday of the month during regular rehearsals. Your input, expertise, and perspective can help improve the organization. Please consider joining the board next year! If you have any questions, please contact myself or the members of our nominating committee: Davi Peraino (vicepresident@acyo.org), John Mitchell (John@johnisaacsclothing.com), or Sharvari Pathak (shakul@hotmail.com).

Sincerely,

Victoria Pagán Wolpert

president@acyo.org

Congratulations to Jane Huang, winner of this year’s Spring Concert poster competition!

Congratulations to Maxwell Remmer, winner of this year’s David Hubbell Concerto Competition

Maxwell Remmer, 15, is a student of both the cello and the violin. He currently holds the position of Principal Cellist in the First Coast Youth Orchestras, the position of Assistant Principal Cellist in the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, and previously held the position of Principal Cellist in the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras from 2015-2017. Maxwell made his orchestral debut at age 13 with the Jacksonville Symphony, performing the Adagio movement of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor for three appearances, going on to solo the following year with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Dr. Raymond Chobaz. In March 2018, he won the first annual FCYO Young Artist Competition with a performance of the Allegretto movement of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. As a participant in the PMP/Suncoast Super Strings in 2016 and 2017, he performed under the baton of Maestro Itzhak Perlman in collaboration with the PMP String Orchestra as part of their Sarasota Winter Residency program. Maxwell is also a founding member of the string ensemble Spiro. A natural teacher, he enjoys sharing the gift of music with others and was a volunteer from 2013-2016 with the Jump Start Strings Program, which sought to enrich underserved student populations in Duval County. Maxwell’s primary teachers include Annie Hertler, Betsy Federman, and Stephen Fine. He has spent his recent summers at the Meadowmount School of Music and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and is returning to Meadowmount in summer 2018 to study with Hans Jørgen Jensen.

1. Holiday Traditions Concert
   1. You can pre-order your tickets at a discounted price on November 12,  and November 19,  at rehearsal breaks
   2. $10 — Adults
   3. $6 — children under 12 years of age
   4. $30 — VIP tickets, which include a VIP reception with catered dinner from Carrabba’s Italian Grill, a silent auction, and champagne reception.
   5. Tickets will be distributed on December 3 at our rehearsal break.
2. Winter Concert CD sales  – at rehearsals on November 26 & December 3 and online at https://acyo.org/merchandise/  
3. Pizza Volunteers Needed.  Our musicians look forward to Pizza Nights on the first Sunday of the Month.  We are in urgent need for 2 volunteers Dec. 3 to help serve the pizza!  
4. Application Deadline for the 2018 David Hubbell Concerto is Competition December 10, 2017
5. Thanks to everyone that entered the Winter Concert Poster Contest!  We had some wonderful entries! Congratulations to Emily Singleton’s whose entry will be used for the Winter Concert Poster and Program.  The Spring Concert Poster Contest deadline will be March 11!

ACYO T-Shirts Sale –  You can order your ACYO T-shirts on-line or at rehearsal break on November 19 and November 26. All orders must be received by December 1.