*
- I'm feeling really excited, like we've worked really hard
and it's going to be an exciting night.
- Adrenaline going. I'm really pumped for this.
- I'm excited about tonight.
- I feel pretty good.
I mean, we've been working hard for awhile.
- Every Saturday, for hours and hours.
- That's hard.
- I think we can really pull this off.
- I'm feeling pretty excited.
- I'm feeling good.
- Fantastic. - Fresh.
- Spectacular.
- I'm kind of nervous.
- I usually get nervous right before I go onto the stage.
- I mess up a lot, I'm just not going to mess up tonight.
- I'm actually pretty relaxed.
I've done this a lot of times and I really enjoy it.
- Feeling good, yeah, excited.
- Awesome.
- Fun. - Life changing.
- Merchy. (girls laugh)
(piano melody)
- I really like WYSO.
- I really appreciate everything about WYSO.
- WYSO is...
- Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.
- Plural.
- We provide orchestral training and performance opportunities
to talented young musicians in South Central Wisconsin.
Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
- When you reach 50 years of an organization,
you know it's got to be good.
- 50 years is very old. (laughs)
- Which is quite remarkable.
- WYSO has grown into an institution.
- I think it's really cool because when we play,
we're all together.
- I had a daughter and a granddaughter that was in WYSO.
- WYSO is another part of our family.
- The wonderfulness of WYSO.
- There's so much chemistry going on here.
- Looking at the kids today, it brings back so many memories.
- It's a foundation.
- They want to be challenged.
- One of the top programs in the United States.
- There's an energy when you work with young people.
*
- When they walk out onto the stage,
and look up at over 2,000 people,
that'll be a new experience.
- Getting everybody together. - Amazing community.
- Family.
- Just being out there and playing.
- Playing in front of a big audience.
- First time performing at Overture.
- Everyone's worked so hard. We deserve this.
- I think it'll be a great concert.
- And we're going to do fantastic.
- Major funding for the broadcast of this program
is provided in part by
Pleasant Rowland and Jerome Frautschi
Diane Ballweg
Dr. Stanley and Shirley Inhorn
with additional funds from Julie and Larry Midtbo
Yamaha Corporation of America
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television
*
(applause)
- My name's Mark Leiser.
I am the conductor of Sinfonietta.
That's the youngest orchestra of the four.
It's a string orchestra.
You have to balance between education and performance.
- He is a good noticer. He notices what's wrong.
- It's good because that helps my playing.
- It gives me more, like, musical experience.
- They're so proud.
- It makes me feel good inside.
- He knows, "This sounds good. I think you're ready."
*
(cheers and applause)
*
(cheers and applause)
- My name is Christine Eckel and I conduct for Concert Orchestra.
Getting them to that next level.
The expectation is high.
- Those expectations challenge you.
You feel like a professional musician.
- Playing with other people that are on my skill level.
I love playing music.
Makes me feel happy.
- They all share your same passion and enjoyment
for making music.
*
(cheers and applause)
- I think that Wisconsin is incredibly lucky to have WYSO.
- We have a really strong music program
in the entire state of Wisconsin.
- And this was Marvin's vision.
- Marvin Rabin was a legend.
- He was just a giant of a man.
- Marvin Rabin changed a lot of lives,
bringing this art form of music making to everybody.
- He was just an incredible force.
- Marvin Rabin came to Wisconsin in 1966,
and founded the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.
His belief was that every child had the right
to experience beauty and excellence,
through participation in an orchestra.
- Marvin Rabin saw that opportunity.
He was completely dedicated to young people in music.
- When he began, there was one orchestra.
- And then they added a second orchestra, and a third,
and now we're up to four orchestras.
- And then we started the Honors Ensembles.
- And it's grown.
- Because we became part of the community.
- A very important part of a young musician's education.
- And it was all built around Marv's philosophy.
- Each student that comes in
is sharing in Marvin's vision and dream.
- That transformative power
of coming together for a shared experience.
- A time where you can make glorious music.
- Great and wonderful things happen.
*
(cheers and applause)
- My name Michelle Kaebisch.
I am the conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra.
It's the second orchestra from the top.
- It's a lot more challenging.
It's so much more advanced.
- You have all these people playing with you.
And it's just so powerful, you feel a little small.
And it's just pure pleasure.
- Because you're all on this rush of adrenaline together.
- In an orchestra, you kind of want to go with the flow.
- If the trumpets are playing,
you want to let the trumpets shine,
'cause this is their moment.
*
(cheers and applause)
*
(cheers and applause)
*
(applause)
- I'm James Smith and I conduct the Youth Orchestra.
The Youth Orchestra is the senior orchestra.
- It's the most advanced students.
- There is competition.
It's an opportunity a lot of kids don't get.
- That kind of motivates you.
- You have to spend time practicing,
and you have to put in the hours.
- It has a very positive impact on their lives.
And they take great pride in what they do.
- I really like to be able to sound good,
and make music that makes other people happy.
*
(applause)
*
(applause)
- I can't imagine a life
that's not affected by the arts.
We're sharing what it is to be human.
- You need that artistic expression
to bring meaning to your life.
Lessons that these kids take with them after they leave WYSO.
- The way it nurtures young musicians.
- Develop dreams that they wouldn't otherwise have.
- I had a good time. The music was really beautiful.
- The transformative power of music in kids' lives.
- All those hours that you've put in rehearsing.
- Setting the benchmark pretty high.
- Being pushed to be my best.
- You see them start so young,
getting to know themselves.
- Who we are as musicians and helping us grow.
- Cause you just kind of see them go off
and then come back as their own people.
- There's so much out there to explore
and go on the path to discovery.
- All these pathways connecting
all these different people.
- It makes me feel good inside.
- It has gone through generations of people.
- It's just so nice to know
that people have played this before you.
- Like you're continuing this...
- ...from one generation to the next.
- We have WYSO alumni all over the world.
- It's a huge family.
- A real sense of community.
- When you put it all together,
that's pretty powerful.
- WYSO, I think, has a very bright future.
- The organization is so committed to survival.
- A commitment that has gone on for 50 years.
- This is the beginning of the next 50 years.
- I think Marvin Rabin would be very proud,
if he were with us today,
to know that it's thriving and growing,
and making the world a better place because of it.
*
(applause)
- Major funding for the broadcast of this program
is provided in part by
Pleasant Rowland and Jerome Frautschi
Diane Ballweg
Dr. Stanley and Shirley Inhorn
with additional funds from Julie and Larry Midtbo
Yamaha Corporation of America
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television