Two years ago, the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra was making plans to tour and perform in Germany and the Czech Republic when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they are once again poised to travel, with performances in Berlin, Leipzig, and Prague during spring break, April 16–24, 2022.
Hochstein works with Music Celebrations International (MCI) to create an exciting and educational tour for our students and their family members who choose to join them, more than 100 people in all. MCI coordinates not only the three performances in scenic venues – and arranges for things like music stands, a conductor’s podium, and percussion instruments and string basses in each venue – but also sets up guided tours of architectural treasures and historic sites and takes care of travel arrangements.
One stop on the tour is Terezin, the former fortress that was used as a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. To prepare the students for what they would see and experience at Terezin, Hochstein invited Rabbi Peter Stein of Temple B’rith Kodesh to speak to the HYSO students and their families before the March 13 rehearsal. Students asked many questions about the site’s history and context.
Of course, this year extra precautions are being taken for the travelers’ safety during the pandemic. This includes a requirement to be fully vaccinated, wearing masks and distancing when required, and testing prior to crossing certain borders.
HYSO Director Casey Springstead has selected works that are not only educationally beneficial, but also those that feature American influences as well as those of Eastern Europe. Examples include Dances in the Canebrakes by Florence Price, who is recognized as the first Black woman to have a work performed by a major American symphony. Other works include a Slavonic Dance by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, and two movements from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2, a work based on Ukrainian folk melodies that the composer heard during his vacation in the country.
The HYSO made its first performance tour in spring 2001 and has continued to travel every other year to various European cities, including representing the state of New York in 2014 at the “American Celebration of Music,” with performances commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France.
Follow along on the 2022 HYSO Tour adventure through a special Facebook event page which will have photos and updates posted by the directors, students, parents, and other tour attendees. Use the hashtag #HYSOTour. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/262422405971571.
Auditions are now open for the HYSO’s 2022-23 school year. The application deadline for auditions is April 15, 2022. For more information, visit https://hochstein.org/Ensembles/Orchestras/Orchestra-Audition-Info.
