WYSO Music Makers

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courtesy Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras

A past Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras Music Makers performance.

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras Music Makers

media release: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) Music Makers will perform their spring concert this Saturday, May 20, 3:30 pm at MYArts. This event is free and open to the public. 

The program features several ensembles, including the WYSO Percussion Pilots, a string trio, a student-led group called Creative Ensemble, and guitar and strings group classes. Performances by returning advanced Music Makers students will open and close the concert.

Special guests from One City Schools will perform selected pieces with the Music Makers, and will be led by Music Makers founder Bonnie Greene. 

"I'm so excited for the violin students to share the stage with the guest class from One City Strings. It's such a testament to the way that music can bring people together to make new friends and offer shared experiences," notes Ria Hodgson, Music Makers Director.

Classic works by Mozart, Bach, and Schumann are on the program, along with a unique arrangement of the Finale from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. Concert-goers will hear contemporary pieces written by Percussion Pilots Coach Bradley Fremder, and familiar favorites like This Land is Your Land played by guitar groups. 

Hodgson also said she's looking forward to the audience experiencing a Bach Double, performed by nine advanced Music Makers students. "This concert really shows the Music Makers program coming full circle. From the beginning students who started in the fall having never played an instrument to now performing confidently on the same stage with graduating seniors... you can really see what is possible when a community invests in arts education for young people."

The WYSO Music Makers Program supports students who would like to learn instrumental music in a non-competitive environment, regardless of ability to pay. No audition is required for participation. The program provides quality instruments, music, and instruction to a diverse group of underserved students in a comfortable community center atmosphere. Music Makers members are studying violin, viola, cello, piano, guitar, percussion, and music theory. Each student is provided with a private lesson during the week and a group class on Saturday, all taught by WYSO artistic staff.