For the past three months, some 65 young classical musicians from the Tri-Cities, Maple Ridge, Surrey and Burnaby have met every Friday in the back of Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre.
They practise in the rehearsal hall, honing their skills, learning how to play as a group and taking direction from the conductor, Reg Quiring. And the experience has been exciting for the members of the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra, which launched in September after Quiring put out a call in June for auditions.
On Saturday, the youth will be put to the test when they host their first public performance. The junior section will tackle an arrangement of the 4th movement of Brahms's 1st symphony, the Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Waltz and a D-minor concerto grosso by Vivaldi; the seniors, on the other hand, will attempt two movements from Haydn's Symphony #99, two movements from The Nutcracker and the last movement of Shostakovich Symphony #5.
Port Coquitlam's Rachel Goetz, whose daughters - Connie on flute and Heidi on cornet - are in the junior orchestra, said she appreciates having the group so close to home. Last year, she and Connie commuted every week for practices with the Surrey Youth Orchestra's chamber music ensemble.
"It gives them a chance to play music with kids their own age," said Goetz, who also teaches piano to her girls.
Quiring, a violist, said the first term of the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra has been fun.
"I have noticed friendships forming and generally positive feelings all around," he said. "The kids are all great and I've become quite attached to the whole thing. The kids are all rising to the challenges with pride."
Tickets at $10/$5 for the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra concert on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. are available at Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam).
