SYS needed a GRAND PIANO donated to help us offer a wonderful concerts this year and into the future. The SYS musicians work very hard preparing their solo pieces and deserve to perform on a great instrument.
Marin resident, Mimi Ting, saw our need and donated her Young Chang Parlor Grand Piano to the Sacramento Youth Symphony on May 15, 2013. John Leggett, SYS Parent and owner of Leggett Piano Service moved the beautiful piano to its new home.
Thank you Mimi & Andrew Ting!
Bon Voyage to the Premier Orchestra as they bring their youthful enthusiasm and energetic music to four cities in the U.K. this summer. The orchestra, lead by Conductor Michael Neumann, will perform in 4 cities: Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.
On Monday, June 17th, we will perform during the lunchtime concert series at St. Giles Cathedral at 12:15 pm in Edinburgh, Scotland before a sightseeing tour of Scotland’s capital!
On Tuesday, the group will journey to the Trossachs, Stirling and Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Liverpool is our destination after viewing the beautiful scenic lowlands of Scotland, Wednesday June 19th.
On the Afternoon of Thursday, June 20th our next performance, at 1:40 pm, will be at St. Edwards School, attended by choristers and orchestra students of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral!
Our next stop is Cardiff, Wales with a concert with the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday, June 22nd.
After arriving in London, we will perform to the people of Great Britain as part of a joint concert with the Ealing Youth Orchestra at the St. Barnabas Church of Ealing at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24th!
We head back to Sacramento on Wednesday, June 26th after a great tour of the U.K.
May 13, 2013
Dear SYS Students and Families,
I would like to commend and thank everyone who was a part of the SYS family this past year.
What a great concert weekend we just had! It was a weekend full of great music, inspiring performances and lots of hard work on many people’s part. Based on a substantial amount of feedback we have and continue to receive, we, the SYS, have much to be proud of.
Thank you to all of our students, parents, volunteers, instructors, office personnel, donors and supporters. Without all of our commitment and involvement, we would not be who we are.
Plans for next season are almost complete and I look forward to another wonderful year.
Sincerely,
Michael Neumann
Artistic Director
The Sacramento Youth Symphony is proud to announce that it will be offering after school band program at Pheobe Hearst Elementary School. To learn how to join this program, click here.
Thank you to all our Restaurants and Donors whom made
“The Magic of Music” fundraiser a wonderful success!
Bogle Winery
Nothing Bundt Cakes
La Rosa Blanca
Evan’s Kitchen and Catering
Hickory Hank Catering
Jackson Catering
Bucca di Bepo
Habesha
Tokyo Fro’s
Leatherby’s Family Creamery
Capitol Beer and Tap Room
Taqueria Los Compadres
Holly Hills Winery
Panera Bread
Clarksburg Winery Co.
Bombay Bar and GrillKatmandu
Cafe Bernardo at 28th & Capitol
Sam’s Hof Brau
Above and Beyond Cakes
SAVE THE DATE FOR NEXT YEAR’S EVENT: FEBRUARY 28, 2014
“It’s a miracle that SYS keeps growing, developing the mind and spirit of youth, showing community spirit”
– Cultural Arts Award Panelist
An independent panel scored the Sacramento Youth Symphony 91 out of 100 based on the excellence and promise of our organization. Out of 60 applicants, we were the top rated music organization as well as the top rated youth arts organization in Sacramento. SYS is proud of our long history of educating and advancing the musical skills of Sacramento’s youth and we ask you to partner with us.
From Weekly Rehearsals to Concerts, and from Summer Chamber Music Workshop to Jinan, China as Sister City Ambassadors, SYS Youth Musicians are leading the way. Two of our orchestras reached out to over 2000 students in 7 elementary schools, bringing exposure to music and the thrill of discovering the rich and valuable opportunities available through music.
Our vision for the SYS is to nourish every child in our community with exposure to music; bringing joy, education, skills through engagement with music. This year, SYS served over 2,400 youth; can you help us reach the 95,878 youth in our region by donating?
Sacramento Youth Symphony continues to inspire youth to reach their highest potential and we look forward to having you as our partner.
Best,
Michael Neumann, Artistic Director
Cathy Taylor, Executive Director
July 2011
After watching the “Rob on the Road” segment that was done recently on KVIE Channel 6, I must admit that many thoughts have crossed my mind.
Some of the most fundamental and most important lessons that I feel we do accomplish here within the SYS family, and something I am personally very conscious about, go far beyond the musical lessons we teach, and delve into the life lessons that can and should be applied to all of our lives, both within the musical sphere, and also outside of the SYS realm. These lessons have great intrinsic value. Yes, music does cultivate higher brain function, but there is much more. We make every attempt to cultivate an excellence in what we do in the SYS family. We promote excellence-we cultivate excellence-we strive for excellence. This striving does in fact assist everyone who so chooses to reach a higher potential, and this is part of our mission here with the SYS.
Achieving lofty standards is not easy. It does require high level instruction from highly qualified instructors. It requires commitment, both from those who instruct, as well as those who are the recipients of the instruction. It takes discipline, attentiveness, focus and a healthy degree of self-criticism from the students. Achieving lofty goals also takes time. There are no short cuts and there is no instant gratification involved in the pursuit of excellence.
Recognizing quality is an important ingredient that we are very conscious of here in the SYS. There is a reason that we focus on the great works, works that have been tested over time—the works of the masters such as Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Over time, students begin to recognize and discern “what is quality?” This ability to discern what is great gets transferred into other areas of their lives, where there too, there is a lot of quality and a lot of junk. Learning the difference is huge for anyone.
Once young people (and the not so young as well) begin to discern what is truly important, what is quality, and begin to extrapolate those lessons into broader segments of their lives, something else interesting happens. And that something else is a great feeling, the feeling of self-worth and value. To have this feeling of self- worth and value is something very, very precious, and something to be nurtured and revered. People from every segment of life are looking for this feeling. Money cannot buy self -worth, and it does not come easily, but by the very fact that our students are following a dream, pursuing their paths of excellence, playing the music of Beethoven, one step at a time they will apply these lessons in such a way that their lives will be enriched, they will feel worthy and they will be able to contribute in a positive way to the world.
I am honored to be surrounded by so many young people, (and even though they may not know it yet,) who are on their quest to find self-worth and value, such that they will contribute to this world in a very positive way.