Youths to perform 'An Autumn Afternoon of Classics'

The Yuba-Sutter Youth Symphony will open its season by playing "An Autumn Afternoon of Classics," joined by the Sutter Buttes Flute Ensemble, at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Yuba City.

The youth symphony is conducted by Jan Roberts-Haydon, who also teaches music at several schools in Yuba City Unified School district.

"This year in the youth symphony, we have a lot of very young players who play really well," Roberts-Haydon said. "It's really nice to see the young students with this much technique and ability. And they're taking it very seriously, which is nice. It makes the rehearsals a lot of fun. They're very quick to direction, and they really listen and adjust.

"It makes it a real joy for me to work with them," she said.

Roberts-Haydon said the youth symphony is made up of about 23 students, both strings and winds, who range in age from about 9 to 20.

"We have some students who are in college. Some of them joined when they were very young and have been in the group for many years. And when they play, they have a lot of leadership skills that come out, which is a nice framework for the younger students to hang on to," Roberts-Haydon said.

The youths will play "Suite II in D, Water Music" by Handel and "Amadeus!" by Mozart, arranged by Jamin Hoffman.

They will also perform what they are calling "A Beethoven Suite," Roberts-Haydon said, because it includes movements from three of Beethoven's most well-known symphonies: "Pastoral Symphony No. 6," first movement, arranged by Richard Meyer; "Symphony No. 7," second movement, arranged by Vernon Leidig; and "Symphony No. 9," second movement ("Scherzo"), arranged by Rich England.

"You can't go too wrong with Beethoven," she added.

Roberts-Haydon said the youth symphony is always seeking new musicians. She said they prefer to hold auditions only once per year, near the start of every new school year, but they have planned a mid-year audition for January to accommodate students whose fall semester schedules conflicted with symphony rehearsals.

"I think the audition process can be a little scary, but it's a good thing to do," Roberts-Haydon said.

"I know there's lots of students out there who play who either don't know about the youth symphony or are hesitant to audition. I really encourage them to give it a shot. We play quality music, and being in the orchestra puts the players in a group with other kids who are interested in the same thing," she said.

Application information and audition materials can be found at the youth symphony's website, ysys.webs.com.

"There are students in the youth symphony from different schools, and it's nice to be able to include all of them," Roberts-Haydon said.

"It's very heartwarming to see such young kids really pouring all of their efforts into an artistic endeavor, such as music or live theater. It's very encouraging to watch that and see that these kids are out there — they are all around us, and we just have to tap into that," she said.

Opening for the youth symphony is the five-member flute ensemble: Judy Coe, Tim Koop, Laurie Piner, Anthony Rafanan and Roberts-Haydon.

The flautists will play special arrangements of "Miniature Overture" from "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Michael Axtell; "Serenade" by Schubert, arranged by Colin Fleming; "Pastorale" from "Concerto Grosso, Opus 6, No. 8" by Corelli, arranged by Kenley Ingelfield; and "The Goldfinch Concerto" by Vivaldi, arranged by Michael Axtell.

CONTACT Susan Benitez at sbenitez@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4773. Find her on Facebook at /ADFeatures or on Twitter at @adfeatures.