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An Interview with Artistic Director & Principal Conductor Helen H. Cha-Pyo

hope noun (hoʊp): to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might*
*From the Cambridge Dictionary

As the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, prepares for its first live concert in seven months this Sunday at New Providence’s Centennial Park, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Helen H. Cha-Pyo gives some insights as to how NJYS has adapted throughout the pandemic and her vision for the 2020-21 season.

Q: How has the pandemic affected the New Jersey Youth Symphony?
A: Performing arts education institutions such as NJYS have faced unique challenges. As an ensemble-based organization, the inability to rehearse and perform concerts in-person is detrimental to the core mission of our program. When the pandemic hit, our orchestra rehearsals and concerts came to a screeching halt. On March 11, 2020, we had to shut down our physical building; however, within the following two weeks, we created virtual rehearsal rooms and instantaneously shifted to online programming. Although it is impossible to replicate the experience of playing together as a 100-piece orchestra remotely, we have found new avenues to continue making music through virtual performances, master classes, webinars, small ensemble rehearsals, and online courses. These have and will continue to expand the horizons of our young musicians beyond what we could have imagined pre-pandemic.

Q: What is your vision for the 2020-21 season?
A: The 2020-21 season will focus on messages of hope shared by our students with communities near and far. We see the young musicians of Wharton Arts as messengers of hope who will share the gift of music through our #StayHomeandPlay virtual concert performance initiative and bring comfort and joy to so many people who are in isolation, especially elderly populations residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Throughout this pandemic, our students are experiencing music as a source of inspiration and comfort, even when they are stuck at home. We believe music takes on a special meaning amid difficult moments, and we are taking the opportunity to spread hope in otherwise uncertain times. As Maya Angelou said, “The nice thing about hope is that you can give it to someone else who needs it even more than you do, and you will find that you have not given yours away at all.”

Another focus this season will be increasing the presence of underrepresented composers in our repertoire choices by performing more works written by black, Latinx and women composers, as well as learning from world class artists through the Monday Master Class Series and the Friday Webinars at Wharton Arts.

Q: How did you choose the ensembles for the upcoming Outdoor Community Concert?
A: Winds, brass, and percussion instruments are more conducive to outdoor performances. As the musicians of Youth Symphony, Youth Orchestra, Clarinet Quartet, and Percussion Quartet are some of our most advanced students, they can prepare for concerts in a short amount of time. We have been able to hold outdoor rehearsals in preparation for the October 25 concert despite some low temperatures in the early evenings.

Q: Tell us a bit more about how the young musicians have been rehearsing for the concert.
A: In order to maintain the safety of our student musicians and staff as our highest priority, we are currently unable to rehearse as full orchestras and large ensembles indoors. However, our most advanced students have rehearsed in small ensembles at our temporary outdoor rehearsal tent in the Performing Arts School parking lot for the past four weeks. Everyone is fully masked—even our wind and brass players—with specialized PPE such as bell covers and instrument bags to minimize aerosolization. Our rehearsals are under one hour with a short break for cleaning and disinfecting. For those students who have chosen to engage remotely, they have the option to join the rehearsal via Zoom.

Q: How did you choose the repertoire for the October 25 concert?
A: With this concert being our first public performance since last January, I was tremendously excited to program it. Due to the reduced rehearsal hours and the limitations of online rehearsals, it was tricky to choose repertoire that was both challenging and meaningful to our highly talented young musicians. Download the digital concert program.

Recognizing many of the silver linings during this time of social distancing, I see this as a rare opportunity for us to explore repertoire for small ensembles that we cannot normally program when we perform as a large symphony orchestra. As a celebration of the 100^th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States, I have programmed works by American women composers such as Joan Tower and Valerie Coleman.

Q: What should the audience listen for on Sunday?
A: The concert will open and close with a pair of majestic fanfares. Aside from the two most well-known fanfares, Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland and Fanfare La Peri by Dukas, I am most excited to conduct Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1 & No. 2, written by a prolific living American composer, Joan Tower. Additionally, you will hear a wide range of pieces written by diverse composers including Gershwin, Charlie Parker, Rossini, Holst and others performed by Youth Symphony Winds, Clarinet Quartet, Percussion Quartet and our award-winning Charles Mingus Jazz Combo.

The free Outdoor Community Concert will take place on Sunday, October 25 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the New Providence Centennial Park. For more information, click here.

On Saturday, June 20, nearly a dozen young musicians, many of whom are New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) students and alumni, participated in a virtual fundraising concert organized by NJYS cellist Noelia Carrasco in response to the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement. The event, which took place virtually via Zoom, exceeded its fundraising goal, raising $676 to be donated to the Black Lives Matter Organization. Here is what Noelia had to say about the event in her own words:

My name is Noelia Carrasco. I live in Rockaway, NJ, and attend Morris Knolls High School. I have been playing the cello for nine years and am a member of the NJYS Youth Symphony, participate in the chamber music program at the New York Youth Symphony, and volunteer with the Paterson Music Project.

Upon hearing about the death of George Floyd, I joined millions around the world who took this as the final straw in what has equated to years of oppression and injustice for the Black community. Racism, prejudice, and inequality are so prevalent in our society, yet can be so easily swept under the rug, dismissed to be too sensitive of a topic to be discussed. I was brimming with frustration and anger that the country I live in could allow such heinous crimes to continually occur. I knew I had to do something to take action.

At first, it was discouraging to be limited to signing petitions, writing emails, making phone calls, and spreading awareness about the Black Lives Matter movement in a few, limited ways. But then I realized that I could use my passion for music in order to make a statement: that with music we can unify our communities and work towards something greater than ourselves. Although we cannot change the world with one concert, we can contribute to this process of change by allowing music to remind us of humanity, compassion, and empathy.

For the concert’s repertoire, I asked that all of the performers select a piece that they were really passionate about—something they could easily connect with emotionally. I wanted to remind the audience during this concert that even during this unprecedented era, we must not let hatred and animosity cloud our vision. We must look forward with the guidance of love and peace.

The performers and repertoire for the concert:

Pianist Alexandria Stevenson, a rising senior at Morris Knolls High School, performed Aufenthalt by Franz Schubert.

Violinist Samuel Lederman, a rising junior at Newark Academy, performed Liebesleid by Fritz Kreisler.

Cellist Sean Lee, rising sophomore at Emory University and NJYS Youth Symphony alumnus, performed Prelude from “The Gadfly” by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Cellist Leo Capurso, rising senior at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, performed the Allemande from Suite No. 2 in D minor for Unaccompanied Violoncello by J.S. Bach.

Pianist Linda Ji, rising senior at Morris Knolls High School, performed Argentinian Danze No. 2 by Alberto Ginastera.

Cellist Noelia Carrasco, rising senior at Morris Knolls High School, performed Salut d’Amour by Edward Elgar.

Violinist Priscilla Tam, rising senior at Parsipanny Hills High School, performed the Adagio from Sonata No. 1 in G Minor by J.S. Bach.

Violist Dora Bonyai, rising senior at New York University, performed Viola Sonata No. 1: Sehr Langsam by Paul Hindemith.

Cellist Noel Cho, rising freshman at Brandeis University, performed the Allemande from Suite No. 4 for Unaccompanied Violoncello by J.S. Bach.

Violinist Ryan Nguyen, rising freshman at Stanford University and NJYS Youth Symphony alumnus, performed Cantabile in D Minor by Niccolo Paganini.