Orchestras march side by side in concert tradition

The Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus is gearing up to play their biannual side by side concert with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra this week.

The concert, titled Magnificent Marches, and will feature some of the most popular marches in the orchestral repertoire. Selections include “March of the Toreadors” from “Carmen” by Bizet, and “Hungarian March” from “The Damnation of Faust” by Berlioz.

The side by side concert takes place every two years to ensure that each member of the YOGC gets an opportunity to participate. The concert enables young students to gain a rare perspective on what it’s like to work with professionals on stage.

“I am thrilled to watch our young students grow as they work side by side with professional musicians from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra,” said Jim Palmer, music director and conductor for YOGC. “To work with professional musicians at their ages is a wonderful experience that many will not soon forget.”

When asked why the musical directors for both ensembles agreed to program marches, CSO Maestro George Del Gobbo’s answer was simple, straight-forward and topped off with humor.

“We chose marches for a number of reasons: There are a lot of them. They come in all varieties. They tend to be shorter and less complex than, say, symphony movements,” he said. “It’s easier to find marches that fit the youth orchestra instrumentation and performance level. And, who doesn’t like a good march?”

CSO’s educational programming and outreach efforts reach more than 6,000 young people annually through their partnerships with the YOGC, the Muscogee County School District, and their informative Know the Score programs.

Del Gobbo has been instrumental in developing these educational programs with the CSO. In a recent news release, he said the organization’s side by side concert is an important tradition because of the ways it enriches both organizations.

“Young players benefit from the guidance and experience of their new partners while preparing and performing a concert in a professional manner and at a professional pace,” he said. “The older musicians are reminded of their younger days, of those people who helped and mentored them, and are given a chance to share their knowledge in a way that helps individual aspiring young musicians and serves to guarantee the long-term viability of their art.”

Cameron Bean, executive director of the CSO, also values this tradition as a part of the CSO’s concert schedule.

“If there is a concert our musicians most look forward to, it is this one,” he said. “We all remember those people who, during our formative years, embodied what we never knew we could some day become. Not only will you hear beautiful, inspiring music, but you will witness young people reimagining the capacity of their achievements before your very eyes.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Orchestras march side by side in concert tradition."