“Reitz High School senior Adam Willett’s five years as a part of Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra’s youth program has given him experiences that he says have prepared him to pursue music education in college,” writes Abbey Doyle in Thursday’s (11/14) Evansville Courier & Press (Indiana; subscription required). “ ‘I’ve gotten to work with people like symphony musicians, college educators and others who have served as an inspiration,’ … the cellist said. ‘It’s helped me learn and advance in my music.’ Willett will perform a solo during Saturday’s Evansville Philharmonic YoutSh Orchestra (EPYO) concert” featuring middle-school and high-school musicians “led by [Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra Assistant Conductor] Brian St. John…. There are 30 students, mostly sixth-through ninth-graders, in EPYO II led by conductor Abigail Pratt…. ‘Most of the students in my group have never played in an orchestra before,’ Pratt said. ‘At the middle school level most students aren’t offered the opportunity to be a part of an orchestra. This is just one of the ways that the philharmonic orchestra is investing in the education of our students in the Tri-State.’ For Pratt, one of the best parts of the concert is seeing the excitement on her students’ faces. ‘They really take pride in all the hard work they have put into preparing for the concert,’ she said.”
Posted November 20, 2013
Photo of Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra 2 by Denny Simmons/Courier & Press
