CYMC "Sash-o-phone" Quartet

L to R • Toren, Kalen, Wendell and Harrison

Photos by John White

Reflections On CYMC 2012

CYMC 2012 Classical Music Camp

Founded as a summer retreat for the Vancouver Junior Symphony, the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre (CYMC) is now in its 44th year and continues as British Columbia’s longest running music camp. Our mandate, to provide musical improvement and advancement to music students, is achieved primarily with the operation of the CYMC International Summer Youth Music School and Festival, a school for aspiring instrumentalists, singers and actors.

The Classical Music Program, which ran from July 1st to 15th, has now wrapped up after a highly successful two weeks of exciting music making.

It was great to see the familiar faces of returning faculty and students. It was great to meet new faculty and a new crop of talented young musicians.

The saxophonists - Toren (alto1), Harrison (baritone) and Kalen (tenor) - hailing from the lower mainland, after a mere three days of rehearsal gave an excellent performance of the Frackenpohl quartet arrangement of Something Doing by Scott Joplin on the first week's chamber music concert, and followed up with an equally stirring version of The Chorus of The Villagers by A. Borodin on the second concert.

Two others, Troy (camp assistant) and Matt (bassoon/saxophone), joined us in masterclass, and Troy joined the Symphonic Winds for the second week.

Under the able baton of Mr. John White, the Symphonic Winds performed two concerts of thoroughly engaging and challenging repertoire.

Well done Toren, Kalen and Harrison!

A typical day consisted of the following:

0830 • Saxophone warm-up: tone production; articulation; intonation.

0900 • Symphonic Winds

1100 • Sectional Rehearsal

Noon • Lunch

1pm to 2pm • Saxophone Quartet

2:15pm • Symphonic Winds: woodwind sectional

3pm • Masterclass

4pm • recreation time

6:30pm to 7:30pm • (second week) rehearsals for Final Concert.

During the second week, I had the privilege of playing second oboe (on soprano saxophone) next to Russ Bajer (Victoria Symphony) for the Concerto Competition winners (Haydn/Cello; Beethoven/Violin), Elijah/Mendelssohn (choral selections) with the CYMC Festival Chorus, and the moving Finlandia/Sebelius under the baton of Yariv Aloni.

The following photos were taken by Mr. Vic Kirby.

Click here for additional Camp photos.

Additional samples of Mr. Kirby's work can be found at his main website at the following link:

Vic Kirby Photography

Toren

Kalen

Harrison

L to R: Russ, Wendell, Matt, Katrina

Faculty Concerts: Wendell Clanton (soprano saxophone)

Week One: J-B. Singelée Op. 73 (Souvenir de la Savoie) and Op. 102 (Fantasia).

Week Two: Café 1930 by A. Piazzolla with Dave Brown (bass) and Sarah Hagen.