Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra commissions young Pasadena composer
Jenine Baines
January 25, 2011
PASADENA, Calif. He has composed works for ensembles worldwide, from China´s Dalian University Orchestra to the San Francisco Conservatory Chorus. And, now, thanks to the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), Southern California music lovers will have the opportunity to hear emerging composer Alex Lu´s new work, Vertigo Steps, when the orchestra presents "The Orchestra Dances" on Sunday, February 27 at 3:30 p.m. at Sexson Auditorium on the campus of Pasadena City College in Pasadena.
"We´re so pleased to premiere Vertigo Steps," says PYMO´s Music Director, Jo Raquel Stoup. "We commissioned Alex, who´s a brilliant young Pasadena composer, to write a piece that fit with the theme of this concert, and there´s no doubt about it. This delightful piece does just that."
"Vertigo Steps comes from a place of fantasy," adds Alex Lu. "It´s an imaginary playground for a simple four-note motif that takes a journey from a fanfare-driven exposition to a quirky hopscotch and from a tango-inspired dance to a lyrical anthem. It is a dance piece at heart, ever-perpetuating and full of energy."
This is not the first time Lu and Stoup have worked together. They originally met when Lu was "fresh out of college" at UCLA and embarking upon his first commission.
"I was composing the music for a dance production by UCLA´s Chinese Cultural Dance Club and PYMO was the orchestra," Lu recalls. "Several years – and a graduate degree – later, I am excited to be working with PYMO again, this time from a more mature composition perspective. Jo has been very supportive, and I am grateful that PYMO is ´listening´ to my evolving voice as an emerging composer."
Lu welcomes the opportunity to work with PYMO´s young members as well. "As an educator and advocate of new music, it excites me that young musicians are involved with new music. Through this musical work and the interaction that I have with the orchestra during rehearsals, I hope to impart an experience that is both artistic and educational," he says.
Also on the program for "The Orchestra Dances" are Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo, and Samuel Barber´s Adagio for Strings.
"Moncayo represents one of the most important legacies of Mexican nationalism in classical music," Stoup explains. "Huapango is a particular favorite, with its intricate rhythms. It´s also a perfect work for PYMO because it features all the sections of the orchestra, especially the brass and percussion. Our string section will be showcased as well when we perform Barber´s Adagio for Strings. I have no doubt that our audience will agree that these are exceptionally gifted young musicians who play with a maturity well beyond their years."
Rounding out the program is the third movement from one of Stoup´s favorite orchestral pieces, Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninov. "This was the last completed work composed by Rachmaninov before his death," Stoup relates. "Yet it´s a work that is full of life. The orchestra truly dances in this movement, with its complex rhythms, incredible orchestration, and a wide range of dynamics and tempos."
That PYMO will ´dance´ beautifully with no misstep Alex Lu has no doubt. "Jo Stoup is a brilliant educator and musician," says Lu. "She has shaped this orchestra to be the wonderful group that it is. I feel fortunate to be adding a tinge of richness to the musical lives of these young musicians."
Tickets for "The Orchestra Dances" may be purchased at the door for the suggested donation price of $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. For more information about PYMO or its upcoming performances, call (626) 403-1086 or visit the orchestra´s website, www.pymo.org.
Pasadena City College is located at 1570 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, with parking available at any PCC student lot for $2.
ABOUT ALEX LU:
An emerging composer of concert and film music, Alex Lu has composed works for the San Francisco Conservatory Chorus, SFCM New Music Ensemble, China´s Dalian University Orchestra, Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra, South Bay Children´s Choir, among others. In 2006, Alex began working in film music under Academy and Emmy Award winner, Todd Boekelheide. Alex has contributed original music to numerous documentary films broadcast on PBS, notably Blessed is the Match; Butte, America; Hard Problems; MINE, among others. Through his work in film scoring, Alex has collaborated with celebrated ensembles such as the Turtle Island String Quartet, San Francisco Quartet, and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra. From 2006 - 2009, he served as Assistant Director and Principal Accompanist of the Golden Gate Men´s Chorus in San Francisco, under former Chanticleer director, Joseph Jennings. Alex received a master of music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied composition with David Conte and orchestration with Conrad Susa. His bachelor of music degrees are in piano and composition from Biola University. Alex is an alumnus of the European American Musical Alliance at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where his teachers included Michel Merlet of the Paris Conservatory and Philip Lasser of the Juilliard School. Alex currently teaches composition at Biola University.
ABOUT THE PASADENA YOUNG MUSICIANS ORCHESTRA:
Founded over 50 years ago, the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO) has provided musical training for gifted young instrumentalists in high school and junior college. This season, students from 32 schools throughout Southern California and from a variety of economic and ethnic backgrounds are taking part in the program. As diverse as the musicians are, however, they share one common goal: to learn how to play in a symphony orchestra.
PYMO rehearses and performs at Pasadena City College, where Music Director and conductor Jo Raquel Stoup is a member of the music faculty. All orchestra members must belong to a performance group at their school, thus making PYMO an extension of their school music program. PYMO rehearses once a week and performs three different concerts yearly in addition to its annual tour.
The mission of the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra is to provide excellence in music education and performance for young musicians and to enrich the cultural experiences of the community by presenting music at a high level of artistic achievement.
PYMO is operated by the PYMO Association, a non-profit organization dependent on a network of volunteers and donors, including parents, friends and area businesses. PYMO is particularly grateful for the many benefits derived from its close association with Pasadena City College, the Orchestras of Pasadena, and the many high schools in the area.
"We´re so pleased to premiere Vertigo Steps," says PYMO´s Music Director, Jo Raquel Stoup. "We commissioned Alex, who´s a brilliant young Pasadena composer, to write a piece that fit with the theme of this concert, and there´s no doubt about it. This delightful piece does just that."
"Vertigo Steps comes from a place of fantasy," adds Alex Lu. "It´s an imaginary playground for a simple four-note motif that takes a journey from a fanfare-driven exposition to a quirky hopscotch and from a tango-inspired dance to a lyrical anthem. It is a dance piece at heart, ever-perpetuating and full of energy."
This is not the first time Lu and Stoup have worked together. They originally met when Lu was "fresh out of college" at UCLA and embarking upon his first commission.
"I was composing the music for a dance production by UCLA´s Chinese Cultural Dance Club and PYMO was the orchestra," Lu recalls. "Several years – and a graduate degree – later, I am excited to be working with PYMO again, this time from a more mature composition perspective. Jo has been very supportive, and I am grateful that PYMO is ´listening´ to my evolving voice as an emerging composer."
Lu welcomes the opportunity to work with PYMO´s young members as well. "As an educator and advocate of new music, it excites me that young musicians are involved with new music. Through this musical work and the interaction that I have with the orchestra during rehearsals, I hope to impart an experience that is both artistic and educational," he says.
Also on the program for "The Orchestra Dances" are Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo, and Samuel Barber´s Adagio for Strings.
"Moncayo represents one of the most important legacies of Mexican nationalism in classical music," Stoup explains. "Huapango is a particular favorite, with its intricate rhythms. It´s also a perfect work for PYMO because it features all the sections of the orchestra, especially the brass and percussion. Our string section will be showcased as well when we perform Barber´s Adagio for Strings. I have no doubt that our audience will agree that these are exceptionally gifted young musicians who play with a maturity well beyond their years."
Rounding out the program is the third movement from one of Stoup´s favorite orchestral pieces, Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninov. "This was the last completed work composed by Rachmaninov before his death," Stoup relates. "Yet it´s a work that is full of life. The orchestra truly dances in this movement, with its complex rhythms, incredible orchestration, and a wide range of dynamics and tempos."
That PYMO will ´dance´ beautifully with no misstep Alex Lu has no doubt. "Jo Stoup is a brilliant educator and musician," says Lu. "She has shaped this orchestra to be the wonderful group that it is. I feel fortunate to be adding a tinge of richness to the musical lives of these young musicians."
Tickets for "The Orchestra Dances" may be purchased at the door for the suggested donation price of $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. For more information about PYMO or its upcoming performances, call (626) 403-1086 or visit the orchestra´s website, www.pymo.org.
Pasadena City College is located at 1570 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, with parking available at any PCC student lot for $2.
ABOUT ALEX LU:
An emerging composer of concert and film music, Alex Lu has composed works for the San Francisco Conservatory Chorus, SFCM New Music Ensemble, China´s Dalian University Orchestra, Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra, South Bay Children´s Choir, among others. In 2006, Alex began working in film music under Academy and Emmy Award winner, Todd Boekelheide. Alex has contributed original music to numerous documentary films broadcast on PBS, notably Blessed is the Match; Butte, America; Hard Problems; MINE, among others. Through his work in film scoring, Alex has collaborated with celebrated ensembles such as the Turtle Island String Quartet, San Francisco Quartet, and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra. From 2006 - 2009, he served as Assistant Director and Principal Accompanist of the Golden Gate Men´s Chorus in San Francisco, under former Chanticleer director, Joseph Jennings. Alex received a master of music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied composition with David Conte and orchestration with Conrad Susa. His bachelor of music degrees are in piano and composition from Biola University. Alex is an alumnus of the European American Musical Alliance at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where his teachers included Michel Merlet of the Paris Conservatory and Philip Lasser of the Juilliard School. Alex currently teaches composition at Biola University.
ABOUT THE PASADENA YOUNG MUSICIANS ORCHESTRA:
Founded over 50 years ago, the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO) has provided musical training for gifted young instrumentalists in high school and junior college. This season, students from 32 schools throughout Southern California and from a variety of economic and ethnic backgrounds are taking part in the program. As diverse as the musicians are, however, they share one common goal: to learn how to play in a symphony orchestra.
PYMO rehearses and performs at Pasadena City College, where Music Director and conductor Jo Raquel Stoup is a member of the music faculty. All orchestra members must belong to a performance group at their school, thus making PYMO an extension of their school music program. PYMO rehearses once a week and performs three different concerts yearly in addition to its annual tour.
The mission of the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra is to provide excellence in music education and performance for young musicians and to enrich the cultural experiences of the community by presenting music at a high level of artistic achievement.
PYMO is operated by the PYMO Association, a non-profit organization dependent on a network of volunteers and donors, including parents, friends and area businesses. PYMO is particularly grateful for the many benefits derived from its close association with Pasadena City College, the Orchestras of Pasadena, and the many high schools in the area.
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