Auditions Announced for New Students

SSYO-Chamber-Chesterton-Art-Fair-2012The gentle sounds of string quartet music could be heard floating above the Chesterton Art Fair in Porter, Indiana on August 4-5. Amid the artists displaying paintings and handcrafted jewelry sat four gifted musicians from the South Shore Youth Orchestra, sharing their talents with the visitors of the art fair. Ella, Melissa, Isabel, and Samantha were participants of the South Shore Youth Orchestra’s summer music program, and had been preparing their music together since June. The audience was enthralled and overjoyed to hear such music at the event, and the combination of visual and aural art was greatly appreciated.

Outreach programs have been a staple of the South Shore Youth Orchestra’s program ever since the creation of chamber music groups in the Fall of 2010. Groups have performed at Brauer Museum of Art exhibit openings at Valparaiso University, local nursing/retirement homes, and even a grand opening for a McDonald’s in Portage.

Benjamin White, the creator and director of the chamber music program, now also serves as the music director for the South Shore Youth Orchestra, which is gearing up for its fifth season. The youth orchestra has about sixty students and consists of three groups for beginning to advanced string players. Mr. White along with his fellow directors, Holly Granzow and Ingrid Schimnoski, look forward to taking students and audiences on a musical journey this year. Concerts range from a world-tour of music in the Fall to a swashbuckling fundraiser as the third annual Serenades explores the high seas in the Spring of 2013.

Auditions for new members will take place on August 25-26 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, Indiana. If you or someone you know is interested in auditioning for the group, more information about scheduling an appointment for an audition time can be found at www.southshoreyouth.org. South Shore Youth Orchestra accepts members of all skill levels, and their three orchestras serve as a training ground for all young musicians, regardless of age. The youth orchestra was created by the South Shore Orchestra and shares their mission to “orchestrate a musical community”.

For more information about the group or their upcoming concerts, visit www.southshoreyouth.org. You may also contact them at info@southshoreyouth.org, or 219-649-1720.

Photo: Clockwise from bottom left: Isabel Tavaras, Samantha Sanecki, Melissa Sanecki, and Ella Simon perform at the Chesterton Art Fair, August 4 & 5.