6 past events with the youth symphony orchestra of east central indiana tag

Contact:Van Nelson                                                                 Tel. 765-748-1851

Email: vnelson38@att.net

East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra will hold its first concert of the year at 7:30 p.m. on March 23 at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. Pie and refreshments will be provided for those who make reservations at the dessert concert in the Colonnade Room of the art center. The evening’s performance will also feature the Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana, directed by Dr. Karin Hendriks.

The ECICO has had a dessert concert for the past eight years, said Van Nelson, the group’s director. He explained that it is the group’s version of a pops concert, as they usually play light classical selections as well as music from movies and musicals. Some of the pieces currently being planned for the Saturday concert are Franz Suppe’s “Light Calvary Overture,” “Serenata” by Leroy Anderson, and “Orpheus” by Jacques Offenbach. The ECICO will also perform a selection of pieces composed by John Williams from the famous movie, Schindler’s List.

The YSOECI will also play its own John Williams selection, “Themes from Harry Potter,” a medley of music from the very popular series. The selection was arranged by Paul Cook and adapted for the YSOECI by Ryan Bischoff, a Ball State student. The ECICO and its guest, the YSOECI, will also combine to play a medley of music from the recent movie adaptation of Les Misérables.

The Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana was founded in 1964 to provide an outlet for middle school and high school orchestral musicians. A part of the Muncie community for such a long time, the group is currently working on an “immersive learning” project with Ball State students.  Dr. Hendriks explained this partnership is a way to help revitalize the program and ensure it “becomes a functioning, thriving, and growing youth symphony program in Delaware County.”

Dr. Hendriks is an assistant professor of music education at Ball State University. She has taught as a public school orchestra instructor for thirteen years and has won several awards for her skills in teaching. A private cello teacher for over 25 years, Dr. Hendriks was even once recognized by then First Lady Laura Bush in 2003. She has also collaborated in education projects with several international soloists and chamber ensembles.

Leading the ECICO will be Javier Mendoza who was hired as the ECICO’s new conductor just this fall. Mendoza is currently music director and conductor of the Chicago Arts Orchestra and a guest conductor for El Sistema Nacional de Bandas, Orquestras y Coros de Guatemala. Some of his past accomplishments include guest conducting for the Boris Liatoshnisky Chamber Orchestra in the Ukraine during an International Conductors Festival and working as the artistic director for the International Music Festival of the Americas in summer 2009 in Guatemala. 

The concert is free and open to the public. Desserts are optional and $8 per person. Reservations for desserts and any inquiries about the evening’s performance may be made by contacting Van Nelson.

Contact: Van Nelson                                                          

Tel. 765-748-1851

Email: vnelson38@att.net

Join the Orchestra for their First Concert of the Season

On November 15, the East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra will be performing in the Colonnade Room at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The concert will begin at 7:30 that evening. 

Teaming up with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana, the ECICO will perform songs that Van Nelson, the president of the group, said he hopes will take the audience on a fantastic adventure. Starting with Verdi’s “Hymn and Triumph March from Aida,” the listeners will be taken to Egypt where the Egyptian prince has fallen in love with an Ethiopian princess enslaved there—the triumphal music reflecting the prince’s love for the princess.

Following this, Nelson explained, the journey will then head to Scotland as the group performs Mendelssohn’s “Hebride’s Overture,” also known as “Fingal’s Cave.” The music will paint the scenery of the Scottish countryside in the minds of the listeners as they are then transported to an eerie graveyard in the middle of the night. In will come “Danse Macabre” by Saint-Saëns whose piece will evoke the image of skeletons dancing on their own graves, Nelson said.

Finally, the audience will be taken on a voyage into space as the Youth Orchestra plays a selection form Holst’s “The Planets.” Ending the journey, Nelson concluded, will be a performance of the theme from the popular television series Star Trek whose motto was “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”

The ECICO is composed of around 30 musicians—both young and old—from around the area. The orchestra provides an opportunity for musicians who may not have majored in music in college to play in a small symphonic orchestra setting. The group receives support from the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, the Indiana Arts Commission, and Indiana Public Radio. Nelson said there is even a small number of Ball State students—music majors and non-music majors—who participate in the group.

The Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana was founded in 1964 to provide an outlet for middle school and high school orchestral musicians.

The night’s performance is free and open to the public. All are welcome to join the orchestras on this musical journey. For more information about the performance or the orchestras, contact Van Nelson.

Be the first to hear all three medal winners of the 2018 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, held only once every four years with competitors from around the world.

This special evening will start with a side-by-side performance with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana. Listen to the accomplishments of these talented young musicians as they take the stage with a professional orchestra for a special evening.

Orchestra Indiana performs the sounds of the season under the baton of Troy Webdell and featuring the Taylor University Chorale. On Saturday night, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of East Central Indiana joins for a special side-by-side performance.

Bringing your kids to this concert? Join us in the lobby before the performance for a FREE instrument petting zoo!