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P.O. Box 737 • Brunswick, Maine • 04011

Introduction | Mission | Membership | Fees | Music Director & Conductors | Rehearsals

Attendance | Calendar | Carpooling | Weather Policy | Music & Instruments | Concert Dress

Directions to Mt. Ararat High School | Other Information | Board of Directors |  Friends of CYO

Introduction to CYO

CYO was founded in 2001 to provide a high-quality orchestral experience for beginning, intermediate, and advanced string players. The organization’s goal is to provide a fun, stimulating, and challenging setting in which young musicians can develop their musical skills and learn about music and music literature. CYO is currently comprised of three ensembles, the Fiddleheads for beginners, the Coastal String Ensemble for intermediate level string players, under the direction of Nancy Roderick. The Coastal Chamber Orchestra is an advanced ensemble includes wind players under the direction of Karla Kelley.

The Coastal Youth Orchestra’s mission is to provide the best orchestral experience possible for young musicians. By promoting a supportive educational environment and a challenging yet nurturing atmosphere, our conductors provide an ideal place for young musicians to learn and grow. The music that is chosen for each ensemble, and the environment in which it is taught, contribute to the positive social and musical experiences of our members. Each of our ensembles musicians are important contributors to our musical community. Rehearsals will focus on what makes music a creative entity: tone, color, melody, harmony, form, rhythm, phrasing, dynamics, and texture. Understanding these individual elements and their interrelationships gives students a solid perception of music and in turn helps them experience music aesthetically. CYO students will also learn about composers, time periods, and the structure of the pieces they play.

CYO is open by audition to elementary, middle, or high school students. Members are accepted based on their musical ability only, without regard to sex, race, religion, disability, or national origin. If you are interested in joining CYO, please contact Music Director and Conductor Nancy Roderick (207-729-5156 or e-mail.)

The annual participation fee for CYO is $170.00 per student. Dues for a 2nd or 3rd child in the same family will be $125. These fees, along with annual fundraising efforts cover the costs incurred in running the Coastal Youth Orchestra. The CYO board works to keep the costs of running CYO at a minimum, however a quality program mandates the purchase of music, conductors fees, hall rental, insurance, and other incidental costs.

Nancy Warren Roderick is the Coastal Youth Orchestra’s founder and conductor of CYO’s Fiddleheads and Coastal String Ensembles. Nancy is well known for her enthusiasm and sensitivity in working with young string players and for her dedication to music education. Nancy is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Music in Coral Gables, Florida. She performs with the Maine State Ballet Orchestra and the Portland Symphony, the Bangor Symphony, the Maine Chamber Ensemble, the Portland Opera Repertory Theater Orchestra, and the trio Musica Sorrella. Nancy has served as a conductor with the Brunswick Regional Youth Orchestra, the Southern Maine String Academy and at several District Festivals across the state. Nancy teaches violin at the Merriconeag Waldorf School in Freeport and to students of all ages at her home in Brunswick where she lives with her husband and two children, Alex and Christopher.

Karla Kelley, conductor of the Coastal Chamber Orchestra, is active throughout New England as a conductor. Since 1987 she has served as conductor of the Maine State Ballet Orchestra, a 50-member professional orchestra that she founded, and which performs for more than 10,000 people annually. Additionally Ms. Kelley was assistant conductor of the Portland (Maine) Opera Repertory Theatre, and in 1992 she was selected from among 180 applicants to the post of assistant conductor of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Ms. Kelley is Music Director for the Charles River Sinfonietta (MA) and was recently appointed conductor of the Coastal Chamber Orchestra (ME). Guest conducting appearances include the Sliven Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Columbia University Orchestra and the Vermont Youth Orchestra. She has worked with young people and served as guest conductor for various youth orchestras in the Northeast. She recently guest conducted with the Fall River Symphony Orchestra (MA),Bates College and Mid-Coast Symphony (ME). Ms. Kelley was awarded the Masters of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the New England Conservatory, where her principal teachers were Carl St. Clair and Pascal Verrot. She has also participated in master classes led by Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano and Samuel Jones. An accomplished pianist and coach, Karla Kelley has played for numerous regional opera companies and orchestras, as well as for a variety of choruses, chamber ensembles and solo artists in New England. She is a member of the Acting Singers Project of Boston and is a staff accompanist at Boston Conservatory and the Winchester Community Music School.

Where & When

CYO will rehearse once a week during the school year on Tuesday afternoons in the Music Rooms at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham (directions below).The Fiddleheads will rehearse from 3:45 to 4:45 P.M. and the Coastal String Ensemble from 5:00 to 6:15 P.M. The Coastal Chamber Orchestra will rehearse from 5:30 to 7:00. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early so you can be ready to begin on time. You’ll need your instrument, music, and a pencil, each week.

Orchestra members are expected to attend all rehearsals .If you must be absent, please notify Nancy Roderick ahead of time at 729-5156 or nancyrod@gwi.net If you are a member of the Coastal Chamber Orchestra please notify Karla Kelley at if possible, or Nancy (729-5156) and she can get a message to Karla.

Rehearsal Dates

Rehearsals are held in the Music Rooms at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham

• Sept 16, 23, 30
• October 7,14,21, 28
• November 4,18 (no rehearsal Nov 11 or 25)
• December 2, 9 Dress rehearsal at Orion Performing Arts Center
• January 6, 13, 20, 27
• February 3, 10, 24 (no rehearsal Feb. 17—school vacation week)
• March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
• April 7, 14, 28 (no rehearsal April 21—school vacation week)
• May 5, 12

Concert Dates

• December 15, 2008
• May 19, 2009 (Tentative)

All performance will be at Orion Performing Arts Center, Topsham, Maine.

Directions to Orion Performing Arts Center

In Topsham, take Rt 201 North. Go past the entrance to Mt. Ararat High School and take your second right onto Canam Dr- there will be a sign for Orion on Rt 201. Take your first left off (not into the MSAD 75 Central Office parking lot), and the auditorium will be the second building on your left.

We encourage orchestra members to carpool if possible. Please contact us if you would like a list of other students interested in carpooling.

If school is canceled but the roads are clear by 3:00 P.M. and Mt. Ararat is open, we will rehearse. If the roads are not clear (or Mt. Ararat is closed), we will cancel.

We will make every attempt to post cancellations on the website, and if possible, notify people by e-mail. You can also call the Mt. Ararat Adult Ed Office at 729-7323 for cancellation information.

Please learn your music at home so rehearsals can be spent on musical concepts. Please note that neither CYO nor Mt. Ararat can be responsible for damage or loss to instruments; be sure your household insurance policy provides adequate coverage.

Fiddleheads please wear dressy concert clothing. (Dresses for girls and dress slacks and shirts for boys…ties would be special!! Please no jeans or short skirts/dresses)

Coastal String Ensemble & Coastal Chamber Orchestra –Black pants and white dress shirts for boys and black skirts and white blouses for girls. Short skirts are not appropriate for concert clothing!

73 Eagles Way, Topsham; Telephone: 729-2951 during the day;, 729-7323 after 3:30 pm.

From I-295:

• Leave I-295 on exit 31 ("196/Topsham/Lisbon Falls").
• Go east on state route 196, called "New Lewiston Road" on the inset map below.
• At the third light, about half a mile, turn left onto state route 201, also called "Main Street", going north.
• Mt. Ararat High School is about a tenth of a mile down 201 on the right. You can barely see the school from the road, but the bus garage, the busses, and a big sign proclaiming "Mt. Ararat School" are all good signs you've made it.

From Route 1:

• Leave Route 1 by taking the exit marked Topsham/Lewiston Rt. 196.
• At the junction with Route 201 turn right onto state route 201, also called "Main Street", going north.
• Mt. Ararat High School is about a tenth of a mile down 201 on the right. You can barely see the school from the road, but the bus garage, the busses, and a big sign proclaiming "Mt. Ararat School" are all good signs you've made it.

From Brunswick

• Cross the green bridge into Topsham and continue up Rt. 201/Main St. to the light at the intersection with Rt. 196 and go straight. Mt. A is on the right just past the intersection.

 

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Other Information

Administration

CYO is an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt organization. A volunteer Board of Directors, made up of CYO parents and other dedicated community members, administers CYO. Our bylaws are available on request. Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, at Mt. Ararat High school and are OPEN TO ANY AND ALL PARENTS who would like to come and learn more about CYO, or who are able to help out in any way. CYO does not have an office, but you can reach Nancy Roderick (729-5156 or email) or write us at P.O. Box 737 Brunswick, ME 04011. Nancy is always available if children or parents have problems, ideas, questions, or comments.

CYO will be funded in its first six months by donations, fundraising activities, grants, and ticket sales. Although immediate donations are welcome, we do not plan to begin an all-out fundraising effort until the orchestra is officially incorporated and has received its tax-exempt status. Should you wish to make a donation before that time, however, it would be most welcome! Checks should be made payable to Coastal Youth Orchestra and mailed to P.O. Box 737, Brunswick, ME 04011.

We encourage all of our musicians to take private lessons. If you do not have a private music teacher, CYO can help you find one. We also encourage students to participate in their school music programs. They provide access to regional and state orchestras as well as solo and ensemble festivals, opportunities to play new parts and to play with other peers, and access to information about music camps, college music programs, etc.

Input from parents, teachers, students, and anyone else interested in a quality musical experience for young people is welcome at CYO. We invite you to volunteer your time and talents to help us develop and support the organization. If you would like to be involved in any capacity, please let us know. We especially appreciate the effort parents make to support our young musicians. Expressing enthusiasm for our children’s music, seeing that they attend rehearsals, and encouraging lessons and regular practice contribute immensely to a successful youth orchestra.

Please check out our web site. We will work hard this season to keep it updated and full of interesting and informative musical information. You can find us at www.coastalyouthorchestra.org.

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