Summer 2010

Dear Friends,

The LA Phil is excited to launch the YOLA Newsletter, your way to stay informed about Gustavo Dudamel's signature El Sistema-inspired program in Los Angeles. Our first newsletter features highlights from an eventful year and a sneak peek at our second site: YOLA at HOLA. Stay tuned for quarterly program updates, information about special events and performances, and spotlights on YOLA students and stakeholder organizations!

Composing Change: YOLA and the El Sistema Movement

From May 6–8, the LA Phil hosted an international symposium in partnership with the League of American Orchestras and El Sistema USA entitled Composing Change: YOLA and the El Sistema Movement. Over 200 music education advocates from 27 states and 6 countries gathered in Los Angeles for the three-day event, which featured YOLA as a case study for how El Sistema can be adapted outside Venezuela and culminated with an invitational rehearsal of the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel on the stage of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Click here to read a recap, watch video, view photos, and download notes from the symposium.

YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra performs at Natural History Museum

On July 11, over 400 local leaders, families, and community members gathered to watch the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra perform on the steps of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The performance was part of an event that celebrated the opening of the museum's newly restored 1913 building and "Age of Mammals" exhibition. LA County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky welcomed the audience as the orchestra performed Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance."

Guest conductors highlight YOLA EXPO summer session

Thomas Wilkins and Perry So were among guest conductors who led the YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra during full rehearsals this summer. Wilkins, a longtime music education advocate, is Principal Guest Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Music Director of the Omaha Symphony. Perry So was one of the LA Phil's 2009/10 Dudamel Fellows and is Assistant Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

YOLA instrument drive nets over 100 instruments

Over 100 instruments were brought to Walt Disney Concert Hall during the LA Phil's first annual YOLA Instrument Drive in May. The instruments will help provide free music instruction to YOLA students. We offer special thanks to the American Youth Symphony, Amoeba Music, and individuals around the country for their generous contributions. For more information about instrument donations, please email YOLA@laphil.org.

Coming Soon: YOLA at HOLA

Opening this fall, YOLA at HOLA is the second project of Youth Orchestra LA. A joint venture of the LA Phil and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), YOLA at HOLA will serve hundreds of students at one of Lafayette Park's most vibrant community centers. During its first year, the program will introduce 80 first-graders to strings and 40 fourth-graders to woodwinds and brass. Elements of the program will include 15 hours of instruction per week, large and small ensembles, mentors, and daily academic tutoring.

YOLA in the Press

Strings Magazine - Taking the El Sistema Challenge (September 2010)

CBS News' "60 Minutes" - Gustavo the Great (YOLA Featured) (May 2010)

Los Angeles Times - L.A. Philharmonic to hold instrument drive, host symposium on El Sistema-inspired programs; Reporter's Notebook: L.A.'s YOLA takes up challenge of El Sistema model (May 2010)

Student Spotlight

Name: Mario, age 11
Program: YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra
Instrument: Trombone
What's the best part about being in YOLA? That I get to be with people I know and play great music together.
Why did you choose the trombone? I saw a demonstration of all of the instruments in an orchestra, and I thought the trombone was really fascinating. I really like the sounds it makes, and that it can make low noises and high noises.
What's your favorite memory of being in the orchestra? Performing at the Hollywood Bowl. I'd never been there, and I'd always looked at posters around the city and thought, "I want to perform there."

Name: Karen, age 12
Program: YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra
Instrument: Cello
What's the best part about being in YOLA? I like group rehearsals, when we get to play with the whole orchestra. I like playing with everybody because you get to hear everyone else's parts and you can fit your own part into it.
What is your favorite piece that you've performed with the orchestra? "Star Wars." It's famous and used in a really intense part in the movie.
Which of your performances with the orchestra was most exciting? When we performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall [with Gustavo Dudamel]. I like the way he conducts – he moves his entire body, even his hair! It's really cool.

Stakeholder Spotlight

Renaissance Arts Academy is a Charter Public School that serves 6-12th grade students. RenArts has a classical academic curriculum, mandatory music and dance instruction, and a unique school culture built around shared artistic discipline. RenArts has no auditions or entry requirements; all students are welcome and admission is by lottery. Instruments and instruction are provided at no charge. In the past year, RenArts has received numerous awards recognizing the success of its programs, including the 2010 Title I Academic Achievement Award and 2010 California Charter School of the Year. Most recently, a group of RenArts young musicians performed at the Hollywood Bowl during the Opening Night concert on June 18.

Click here for more information about the YOLA Stakeholder Network.

Leadership support for the LA Phil's Educational Initiatives is provided by the Annenberg Foundation, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, Target, Amgen Foundation, and the Rose Hills Foundation.