By Annette Hinkle
There is a small, but dedicated, group of Sag Harbor and East Hampton music students who, every Thursday, toss off social engagements and rush to finish their homework in order to spend the evening on the road — driving to and from Sachem High School where they rehearse from 7 to 10 p.m. with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Suffolk County (MYO).
The students, percussionist David Horn (a senior), cellist Christopher Beroes-Haigis (a sophomore), viola player Timothy Megna (a freshman), violinist Connor Vorhaus (a sophomore) and clarinet player Emily Verneuille (a sophomore) from Pierson High School, and two brothers, violinists Leo Panish (6th grade) and Maxfield Panish (a sophomore) of East Hampton, are all part of MYO’s 70+ member Suffolk Principal Orchestra.
It’s quite an accomplishment to pass the MYO audition, and even more impressive that Pierson, alone, has five students in the program. The Suffolk orchestra, which was started in 2008 under the direction of conductor Phil Preddice, is made up of string, wind, brass and percussion student musicians from middle and high schools across Suffolk County who have successfully performed a NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) level 5 or 6 solo. In its debut season last year, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Suffolk County played Carnegie Hall in New York City, among other venues. Not bad for a group of teenagers.
In June, MYO Suffolk will return to Carnegie Hall, but those who would like to see the musicians in action sooner can attend the MYO concert this Sunday at noon at the Staller Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Stony Brook University. In addition to the Principal Orchestra, conducted by Preddice, also performing will be MYO of Suffolk’s Concert Orchestra, under the direction of Scott Zarchy.
While the Suffolk County MYO is just completing its second full season, the Nassau County based Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York (as it is officially known) has been providing young Long Island musicians with an outlet for their creative energy since it was founded by music educator John McNeur in 1993.
“This was 16 years ago, when I had two kids in the house,” recalls McNeur who is Director of Music for Herricks High School in New Hyde Park. “We had moved from Connecticut to Long Island. Connecticut had a wealth of youth orchestras and we were disappointed in the Nassau County offerings. That first rehearsal, we had 15 high school and middle school kids and a conductor. By the end of the season, we had 60 or so.”
As the reputation of MYO grew, more young musicians were drawn to the program, but due to sheer distance, participation for East End students remained unfeasible — until last year when the Suffolk MYO was formed.
“If you talk to the people from Sag Harbor who are participants, you know there is just nothing out there,” says McNeur. “There is another western Suffolk youth orchestra, but nothing that really services the kids out east.”
So using the same model as the Nassau MYO, McNeur was able to set up the Suffolk MYO with help from Anissa Arnold, a fellow Herricks teacher who administers the program, to give students further east the experience of playing in an orchestral setting.
“It’s beyond what most schools are able to do — get high quality students together and do the genre of symphonic work, which they don’t work on at their schools,” says McNeur. “To delve into real symphonic literature.”
“It works the other way too,” he adds. “These kids go back to school and take it back to other kids.”
The entire Nassau and Suffolk MYO consists of about 600 musicians and singers (which includes a children's choir). The youngest player in MYO, notes NcNeur, is an “almost prodigious French horn player who’s in fourth or fifth grade.”
When asked what it’s like for these young people to play at Carnegie Hall, McNeur says, “You should see it. The most fun I have is standing at the stage door as they are walking out for a staged rehearsal, and almost every jaw drops.”
Pierson music teacher Eric Reynolds understands how difficult it can be for talented players to find an outlet on the East End. Pierson only offers band, not orchestra, so the opportunity to play with MYO is an important one.
“I think it’s raised the level of the group and my kids who are in it,” notes Reynolds. “They are much more versatile on their instruments. They’re listening to so much more music. I’ve seen through MYO a real focus from them. They’re enjoying music in the schools more, becoming more involved, taking music theory and doing the festivals.”
This is Reynolds’ second year at Pierson and his fifth as a music teacher, and in general, he has seen a huge increase in the numbers of students interested in playing music in recent years. He thinks that part of the reason why Sag Harbor has so many students interested in music is the community itself.
“We’re lucky. We live in one of the more artistic communities on Long Island,” says Reynolds. “A lot of parents are writers, musicians and artists. The support at home is large, and that helps get kids interested.”
And these kids are certainly interested. While Vorhaus admits it’s a bit of a trek each week to go to Sachem for rehearsals, he’s fine with it.
“It’s far – but as long I get food I’m OK,” confesses Vorhaus. “The conductor, Phil Preddice, is amazing and the best conductor I’ve ever worked with. He makes it fun, open and intelligent. He makes you want to come back.”
Though it also means she ends up doing homework late into the night, Verneuille, who just joined MYO this past fall, is excited about the music and musicians she’s getting to know.
“You meet a lot of new people from new places,” says Verneuille. “It’s such a great experience to play orchestra music rather than band music.”
Because Pierson doesn’t have an orchestra, the musicians mostly play classical pieces in a solo setting as part of their private instruction. But their experience with MYO is giving them a much wider musical perspective.
“It’s a different way of playing because you focus more on the group as a whole instead of just your playing,” explains Megna. “You’re looking at the conductor and the lyrical parts of the piece with the group. You have to constantly look around you.’
“It’s good to have an orchestra to prepare for where you play and show your abilities instead of just playing by yourself,” he adds.
Beroes-Haigis, who’s in his second year with MYO and will participate in a chamber music festival in Germany this summer is excited to be a part of the program.
“It’s a chance to play with an orchestra. I want to continue with it,” says Beroes-Haigis who, when asked what it’s like to play Carnegie Hall, pauses to reflect before responding.
“It seems very quiet at first, but the moment you place your hands on the strings you can hear every finger on every string,” says Beroes-Haigis. “And you can hear everyone breathing in the audience. It’s one of the most amazing places to play.”
The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Suffolk County (Suffolk MYO) Principal Orchestra and Concert Orchestra, perform at noon at the Staller Center for the Arts located on the campus of Stony Brook University. Tickets may be purchased at the door.
Top: MYO Suffolk MEMBERS (l to r): Leo Panish and Maxfield Panish of East Hampton and Sag Harbor’s David Horn, Emily Verneuille, Timothy Megna and Christopher Beroes-Haigis (not pictured: Connor Vorhaus).
