YOUTH ORCHESTRA
TRIP TO GERMANY
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Inactive and neglected since the Depression, the youth orchestra was revived in
1958 by conductor Harry John Brown’s recommendation to the board. He was
assisted in this project by concertmaster William Henigbaum. Brown had been
successful in bringing music lectures and musical instrument presentations to local
schools throughout the decade and he enjoyed working with children. With help
from the Junior Board he increased the number of Young People’s Concerts from
three to seven. It was time to give new development opportunity to the area’s
young musical talent.
The mission of the new ensemble was “to serve as a training group for the senior
orchestra and to further the musical education of young music students.” Many
members of the youth orchestra have progressed into becoming full musicians in the
Quad City Symphony Orchestra. A series of scholarship opportunities has also
enriched their educational preparation, the result of targeted fundraising.
There are now four performance ensembles in place for grades four through
twelve, and youth orchestra members come from the metro area as well as
outlaying communities. The youth orchestra has commissioned several pieces for its
major anniversaries and they perform four concerts per year, plus a “side-by-side”
in tandem with the senior orchestra. The most talented students have a chance to
grow under dedicated conductors, receive coaching from the
professional musicians, and also rehearse under the baton of Mark
Russell Smith. Membership in the Youth Symphony Orchestra is by
audition; there are currently nearly 100 members.
Leadership of the youth orchestra passed from Brown to Charles
Gigante, James Dixon with assistance from William Henigbaum, Daniel
Culver, James Lambrecht, Thomas Hegeman, and Kevin Price-Brenner.
Aaron Kaplan is the current interim conductor. These outstanding
professionals have helped the youth orchestra program gain national
recognition and immense growth in quality and discipline.
Mavoureen Briggs, Heather Gosma, and Eloise Smit all ably guided
the youth orchestra committee for years. Jeanne Jackson served as
personnel manager for over forty years, retiring in 2006.
Selected by audition, 39 of 120 Tri-City Symphony Youth Orchestra members
toured Germany for three weeks in June of 1982. At that time they were one of
very few youth orchestras in the nation to achieve this distinction. The initiative for
the trip came from a visit of young German musicians to the local area a few years
prior, and an invitation for a return concert tour was eagerly accepted.
The trip was budgeted at $40,000. The Junior Board pledged several projects to
assist with the fundraising, including a successful Decorator Tour of Homes and a
major effort to market the best-selling “Standing Ovations” cookbook with profits
designated to help with the tour.
The home base for the cultural exchange was the Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium
(secondary school) in Böblingen, near Stuttgart. There the young musicians were
housed with families and launched their tour. Prior to the trip the ensemble
rehearsed daily at Augustana College under the baton of Daniel Culver, conductor,
and participated in brief language, culture and customs lessons with Janet BrownLowe, then German teacher at Bettendorf High School. Principal coordinator for the
tour was Mavoureen Briggs. Dennis Loftin served as manager.
The concert tour featured 10 performances and included a repertoire of classical,
jazz and folk music. Several smaller groups also performed as a brass ensemble, a
woodwind ensemble, clarinet quintet and a stringed quartet.
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Quad City Symphony Youth Orchestra with Midori- Courtesy QCSO