The young musicians of the Cochise County Youth Orchestra (CCYO) will take the stage at a new performance center in Sierra Vista when they present their final concert of the semester at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, at Kino Hall, next to St. Andrew’s Church, 800 Taylor Drive. Admission to the concert is free and the public is encouraged to come out and enjoy an evening of great music and entertainment.
 Besides having fun playing music together, the young members of the strings-only Cochise County Youth Orchestra are currently rehearsing for their free December 13 Winter Concert at Kino Hall. In addition, they are scheduled to perform in January alongside the Sierra Vista Symphony for the symphony’s student concert performance. |
The winter concert will include the short set of fiddle tunes the CCYO recently performed at the 3rd Annual Sierra Vista Fiddle Contest. The orchestra is now turning their rehearsal focus to modern classical pieces such as “Conquistador,” and “The Londonderry Suite.” They are also working up a set of Celtic Christmas carols for a concert piece reminiscent of the performing group “Riverdance.” The orchestra will feature the electrifying Sam Jones (principal second violinist) on drum set for a high-energy version of “Wipe Out.” The orchestra members are very excited to have the addition of Jesse Rossman on double bass to really help fill out their sound this year.
David Kaemmer, the music director, is pleased with the progress of the orchestra. “The kids are really taking it to the next level. In the past, a lot of rehearsal was spent trying to get everybody to just play the songs. I am really enjoying working with the orchestra this semester because we are starting to get into the finer details of making music. We spend rehearsal time working on breathing together, phrasing within the music, use of the bow, and I am able to do this with not just a few players but with the whole group. We have a lot of fun and it is great to see them grow.”
In addition, the orchestra is scheduled to play one of their winter concert selections, “Orpheus in the Underworld,” alongside the Sierra Vista Symphony at the Buena Performing Arts Center on January 18 for the symphony’s student concert performance.
The CCYO is a “strings only” ensemble comprised of violins, violas, cellos and a string bass. There are currently 23 members ranging from elementary to high school age.
Since being formed in 2001, the orchestra has been steadily growing in size. It has been evolving and expanding its style to include a wide variety of music which can be played on these instruments.
The students benefit greatly from the wealth of experience that the two orchestra directors bring to rehearsals. Music director, David Kaemmer, has been playing violin/fiddle for over 20 years. He has a music performance degree and is a Suzuki certified violin/viola teacher. He has taught at Vanderbilt University, the PRIME school of music, and at various workshops throughout Arizona. Assistant director, Karl Balandovich, heads up the music program and band at Town & Country Elementary School. He was also a member of the 8th Army Band while in the U.S. Army and has performed in orchestras, Big Bands and choruses throughout the United States.
The Winter Concert promises to provide an evening of fun and entertainment. Everyone is invited to see firsthand the incredible talent of the young orchestra members. Refreshments will be provided after the concert and the audience is invited to stay and mingle with the young players. For more info, please call David at 220-1166 or log on to www.ccyo.info.
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