Riding the high of the previous night’s concert in Torremolinos, we enjoyed a leisurely morning in Granada – time to catch up on sleep, lounge by the pool, or get those last souvenirs and explore another of Spain’s historic Andalusian cities.
In the afternoon, we squeezed a quick visit to Alhambra, one of the most famous and well-preserved Islamic palaces in the world. Under the blazing sun, we strolled its peaceful gardens and marveled at the breathtakingly intricate carvings and mosaic tile work that seem to dominate every inch of the palaces that date back to the 13th century. There was not nearly enough time to explore the entire complex but it gave us all another taste of the rich and complex cultural and artistic history of the region.
Before we knew, it was time for our final concert of the tour, scheduled to take place at the CajaGRANADA Cultural Center. Feeling at their peak, the orchestra poured every last bit of energy they had into the final concert, bringing this tour to a triumphant close. It was wonderful to finish out the tour with both the assistance of our Lisbon Music Fest friends as well as the wonderfully welcoming Rotary Club of Granada, which presented the concert.
Our final day was largely spent making the long drive to Madrid, where we had a bit of time to see some of the sites and explore the area around Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor before enjoying a farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant.
We also made time to gather together in the evening to celebrate the orchestra’s incredible accomplishments, both musically and personally, and to recognize the many individual and group efforts that made it such a successful and memorable experience
And that’s a wrap on #DCYOIBERIA 2022! While friends and family back home are celebrating Independence Day, we will be making our way back home, eager to share experiences and start planning for more exciting adventures ahead. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we continue to share more footage of our tour performances and experiences. Hasta la próxima!
Day 5 started off with another wonderful and intense morning of rehearsals with our new friends from Orquesta Promusica.
Feeling ready and even more excited for our concert than the day before, we took a much-needed lunch break in the charming city center of Málaga. Everyone had a chance to explore its winding marble streets in search of Andalusian cuisine, souvenirs, or just a few moments of peace and quiet in one of its cultural landmarks such as the Picasso Museum Málaga (Picasso was born in Málaga in 1881), which is housed in a historic 16th century palace.
Nothing could top our excitement, though, once we arrived at the site of the evening’s joint concert: the Castillo de Gibralfaro. Once one of the most imposing fortresses on the Iberian peninsula, the Castillo was first built in the 10th century by the first Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba on the ruins of a Phoenician lighthouse that dates back to the 7th century BCE. The fortress was later expanded in the 14th century by the sultan of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.
We took a few moments to admire the beautiful cypress and fruit tree lined walkways of the grounds, as well as the incredible views overlooking the city from the fortress walls before our combined orchestra of over 100 musicians took to the outdoor stage. Well over 200 attendees filled the Patio de Armas, to enjoy works by Holst, Verdi, Offenbach, Turina, de Falla, and Emilio Lehmberg, a Malaga-born composer much beloved in Spain but virtually unknown in the United States. Maestro Solomon undertook the effort to create a new critical edition of his piece, Impresiones del atardecer, and presented the new score and parts as a gift to Maestro Javier Claudio, who is currently working on a film project about Lehmberg.
Day 6 gave us another opportunity to have lunch with our VIP tour in the Malaga city center before we headed to the nearby city of Torremolinos for our third concert at the Auditorio Municipal Principe de Asturias. The fantastic acoustics of the hall combined with absolutely stellar solos from our principals to make for what may have been the best performance of our tour program yet. We’ll know for sure tomorrow when we give our final concert of the tour in Granada…
Still riding high from our triumphant opening concert at Ruínas do Carmo, we bid farewell to Portugal and made the long drive to our first stop in Spain: Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Our first stop was a visit to the massive Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral. Competed in the early 16th century, it is the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite the sizzling temperature, many of us couldn’t resist making the ascent to the top of its magnificent bell tower also known as La Giralda. Reflective of southern Spain long history under Muslim rule, the bell tower was actually once the minaret of a mosque that stood on the same site before it was repurposed and augmented, with the final touch – the rotating sculpture known as El Giraldillo – added to the top of the bell tower in 1568.
Joined by our VIP tour, we finished our long travel day with a special evening at Tablao el Renal, where many of Seville’s finest flamenco dancers have performed shows for over 40 years. While dining on an incredible array of traditional Andalusian tapas, we were treated to a fantastic flamenco show featuring virtuosic singing, guitar playing, and dancing, of course.
Day 4 brought us to the main destination of our tour: the beautiful city of Málaga, located on the Costa del Sol along the Mediterranean. After a quick visit to the beach for a little R&R, we went to meet our new friends from Orquesta Promusica and jump right into the much-anticipated rehearsals for our joint concert at the Castillo de Gibralfaro. Led by maestros Evan Ross Solomon and Javier Claudio, our YO students joined forces with over 40 young Spanish string players for an exciting rehearsal of works by Verdi, Offenbach, de Falla, and Turina. Despite any language barriers, the students all did an incredible job of communicating with one another to create musical fireworks in the rehearsal room. We cannot wait to perform together at the Castillo de Gibralfaro tomorrow night!
Today was our day to really soak up lovely Lisbon in all its glory. We started with a walking tour of the Belém, a district of the capital city that is home to some of Portugal’s most iconic sites.
Our first stop was the Tower of Belém, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was built in the early 16th century to protect the global maritime trade hub of Lisbon. We then walked along the beautiful waterfront to see the dramatic Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). Originally erected in temporary form as part of the 1940 Portuguese World Exhibition, it was reconstructed in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. Our last stop was the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, another UNESCO World Heritage site that is one of the greatest examples of classic Manueline architecture and took the entire 16th century to finish building.
In the evening, we made our way to the Ruínas do Camo, the site of a 14th century convent that was almost completely destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake and is now home to the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo. Here we performed our first concert of the tour as part of the Lisbon International Youth Music Festival. We were honored to perform as one of the featured ensembles in the festival’s return after two years of pandemic delays. Our musicians played their hearts out to a crowd of over 250 attendees who enjoyed a program of works by Antonin Dvořák, Kerwin Young, Aaron Copland, and Giuseppe Verdi under a cloudless night sky. We couldn’t have asked for better weather in a more gorgeous setting for the evening’s outdoor concert, and can’t wait to continue our tour in Spain this week.
Greetings from beautiful Lisbon! After a very long day and a half of travel via Frankfurt, we landed safe and sound in Portugal, where our tour officially begins.
After meeting our tour guides, Sónja and Beatriz, we kicked things off in style with a welcome dinner at Casa do Alentejo. From the outside, Casa do Alentejo looked like a plain building that blends right into the busy cityscape. But once we entered the doors, we were suddenly welcomed into a tranquil Moorish-style courtyard with more surprises to follow.
Originally known as the Palacio Alverca, Casa do Alentejo was built in the 1600’s and served as the home of the Paes de Amaral family until the early 1900’s. Over one hundred years later, it serves as a cultural center celebrating the heritage of Portugal’s southern Alentejo region, including a restaurant that serves many of its traditional dishes. This multipurpose space hosts everything from book talks and art exhibitions to cultural afternoons and social events.
We were treated to a spectacular welcome dinner in the former ballroom of the house, an ornate room decorated with crystal chandeliers that cast a warm light on the gilded wood panels and mirrors that cover its walls along with ornate frescos.
During the course of our meal, we enjoyed a truly special performance of fado, a very special traditional form of Portuguese music that is usually sung by a solitary singer or fadista accompanied by classical and/or Portuguese guitar. Named to the category of Cultural and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO , Fado can be difficult to explain to people who are not familiar with its long history and unique place in Portuguese culture. “The way to understand fado is to feel the music,” our tour guide, Sónia, told us. Everyone in the room definitely felt the incredible singing of fadista Yola Dinis, who was accompanied by both Portuguese and traditional guitarists. The entire orchestra gave her a standing ovation in appreciation of the special gift she shared with us, and enthusiastically agreed with Ms. Dinis that they would love to come back and play with her sometime!
After dinner, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around downtown Lisbon, taking in the Arco do Rua Augusta and the Casa dos Bicos, an early 16th century house known for its unusual spiky facade that also houses the José Saramago Foundation. Some of the ashes of the Nobel Prize-winning author, who was born in a small village northeast of Lisbon, are buried under a beautiful olive tree in front of the building.
Tomorrow, we stay on in Lisbon for a little sightseeing as well as our first tour performance that will take place outdoors at the Ruinos do Carmo as part of the Lisbon Music Fest. Stay tuned for more updates!
By Sandy Choi, Community Engagement and Digital Media Manager
From Left to Right: Michael-Thomas Foumai, Clarice Assad, and Kerwin Young.
For Michael-Thomas Foumai, an Indigenous composer from Hawai’i, writing works like Paniolo Credo specifically for student ensembles is a deeply personal mission that reflects his desire to create the music he saw missing from the classical landscape when he was growing up, to draw connections between people and to encourage youth to explore and create through music.
“Young musicians are the future of music; composing for them is paramount to instilling a curiosity to explore the music of their time from the start of their musical journey,” Mr. Foumai says. “Moreover, it’s the gateway that may spark a musician to become a composer, an opportunity to think of music as a way to communicate.
Foumai’s piece is one of three pieces by living composers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color, that were commissioned by DCYOP and several partners and played this winter and spring by DCYOP students. Undiscovered Pathways, by local composer and University of Maryland student, Adrian B. Sims, was given its world premiere at our winter concert last December. Two more new works, A Retirada by Clarice Assad and Paniolo Credo by Mr. Foumai, will be given their world and East Coast premieres respectively at this month’s end of season concerts.
For Mr. Foumai, writing for young people started when he himself was a young person.
“I was 13, and it was a hobby just for myself. I created musical stories about the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Arabian Nights, the Aztecs, the wild west, and the Egyptian pharaohs. Once I gathered the courage to share my music with friends, they wanted to play it. So, I composed and arranged substantially for my high school and youth orchestra. I wrote what sounded cool and wasnʻt thinking if this music was playable—and much of it was beyond our technical capabilities—but it was music as a young musician that was electrifying. I wanted to perform it and share it. This kind of music wasn’t in the school music library; it had to be written.
“I hope my music will introduce and share the fascinating histories and stories of my Hawai’i home, cultivate curiosity to explore metaphors in music, and listen to how musical ideas are connected and developed over time.”
Clarice Assad also draws deeply from her roots to inspire young people to appreciate the full diversity of their own family traditions and cultures.
“I am originally from Brazil and have a deep sense of connection with its music,” she shares. “It is a huge country, with distinct regions, each with their own rich cultures, traditions, music, and dance. However, so little of it is known outside of Brazil – and even in the Brazil of more recent years, generations that grew up in the era of globalization have a tendency to mirror the dominating culture, which has been for decades, rooted in the pop culture of the US.”
In her opinion, the homogenization of different cultures can lead us to lose sight of what empowers us to flourish.
“In a cultural sense, when we only get exposed to one type of genre or music, we might become too narrow-minded, and never get past a set level of awareness,” she says.
Exploring and sharing her love for her Brazilian heritage with others has been one way that this prolific artist has continued to grow as a composer, especially when it comes to writing for students.
“I love engaging with young minds, and I learn a lot from every exchange,” she says. “Writing for young students is amazing because it makes my creative process a lot more conscious such as finding the balance between accessibility, and fun, for example. I put a lot of energy into making sure every single part has something interesting and meaningful to play.”
In addition to the works by Ms. Assad and Mr. Foumai that have come to us through K-12 New Music Project, DCYOP is also giving the long-awaited world premiere of Sulwe, an orchestral adaptation of the children’s book by actress and activist, Lupita Nyong’o, by award-winning music producer, educator and composer, Kerwin Young. The project was first conceived back in late 2019 shortly after the book was published.
“I wanted to write something that was relevant to now. Sulwe was a fresh book, maybe out only two weeks. I like to do things that no one is thinking of.”
Inspired by the message of Ms. Nyong’o’s book, it took Mr. Young less than three months to write his piece for full orchestra.
“I wanted to highlight Sulwe’s relationship with nature, and then capture the process of how she came to terms with self-acceptance in the book, going from self-doubt to self-love. I developed different motific ideas and had to work to link them up but still make it fun and playable for youth orchestra.”
While most people may know Mr. Young as an award-winning, multi-platinum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recording producer for legendary Hip-Hop artists such as Public Enemy and Ice Cube, he notes that composing was always a part of his job. In addition to years of intensive self-study, Mr. Young returned to college later in life to formally study composition with Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Bobby Watson, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. For over thirty years now, he has composed and produced a wide range of original works for film, television and the concert stage. No matter what format he is writing for, Mr. Young stays true to ideas at the core of his vision for a new piece.
“Whatever subject I choose, I like for that to be the seed that I’m going to get my ideas from. When I’m sketching and writing, it’s solely based on the subject I’m dealing with but when I go to orchestrate it, then I might bring some jazz elements into how I want to voice some chords. I like a lot of crunchy stuff so I might put some ninths in there. For the most part I take myself out of it.”
Having established an incredible, multi-faceted career through passion, hard work, and determination, Mr. Young’s advice to young musicians looking to pave their own career path in music is heartfelt but frank.
“Learn all of the music. Include all the music that you’re interested in learning and learn it. Just dive into all of it and connect it. It shouldn’t be separated. Learn the business, learn about music publishing if you want to create. And don’t give up because it’s going to be difficult, there’s going to be a lot of people who put roadblocks up in your way for no apparent reason just because they can. You gotta keep at it.”
DCYOP’s Youth Orchestra and Youth Philharmonic will be performing the world premieres of Clarice Assad’s A Retirada and Kerwin Young’s Sulwe: A Musical Adaptation, as well as the East Coast premiere of Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Paniolo Credo, on May 15th at the University of the District of Columbia’s Theater of the Arts. The Youth Orchestra will also be performing Sulwe on its tour of Spain and Portugal this summer.
By Sandy Choi, Community Engagement and Digital Media Manager
Aurora Su (left) and Whitney Buch (right) will both be featured soloists during our Spring Concert weekend.
As we return to the University of the District of Columbia’s Theater of the Arts for our end-of-season concerts, two of our own violinists will take the stage in solo performances – one a veteran of the program and the other a brand new member of the DCYOP family.
Whitney Bruch, an eighth-grade student at St. Stephens and St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Virginia, is an ISL champion for cross country with a record mile time, a regional science fair first prize winner, and a lead volunteer of a Handwriting Club for ESL students. Somewhere in between all of that, she finds the time to study the violin and play in both the DC Youth Orchestra and Young Virtuosi (YV) chamber orchestra.
“I really enjoy being part of the YV,” Whitney says. I have made a lot of friends within the group. It is one of the best parts of my week. One of my favorite parts is that Mr. Solomon shares funny stories with us, and when I ask him questions, he always fully answers them and encourages me.”
Whitney has been a member of DCYOP since she joined the Young Artists Orchestra six years ago. She currently studies with Leo Sushansky and Kim Fisher, and she began her violin studies at the age of six with Emil Chudnovsky. For Whitney, it’s a dream come true to make her solo debut performing the first movement of Mozart’s Concerto No. 3 with the YV on the May 15th afternoon concert.
“Getting to play the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 with the YV is a great honor, and I am so excited to get to perform as a soloist. Ever since I was eight years old, I have wanted to pursue music professionally, and I am so honored and thankful that Mr. Solomon has chosen me to play with the YV.”
At just six years old, Aurora Su had only been studying violin for three years when she joined the Young Artists Orchestra as one of its students this past fall. She has been studying with Magdalena Richter since she was four years old, and recently started to also take lessons with Emil Chudnovsky. Aurora will be performing the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto in E Major with members of the Young Virtuosi on our May 14th afternoon concert.
“I like being with the orchestra playing together with many instruments,” Aurora told us. It has been her first experience playing with an ensemble and she has really loved being able to rehearse and perform with other students.
Aurora has already won several competitions including the first and second rounds of her division in the 2022 Crescendo Competition, which gave her the opportunity to make her debut performance at Carnegie Hall earlier this year.
“I loved it!” Aurora exclaimed when asked about the experience. “I felt happy and joyful playing on the stage. The hall was so big, bigger than I expected. I loved the sound. I like standing up on a stage and performing.”
Aurora’s love of music goes beyond just violin, which she says she was drawn to because she liked its beautiful sound. She also plays the piano, and enjoys composing and improvising on both instruments. She frequently shares her love of performing on her Instagram account (@aurora_su_violinist), where she has over 3,200 followers. Aurora is also an avid artist who loves to read non-fiction books, especially about animals and famous historical figures, and write her own poetry.
YO and YP Principal Conductor, Kenneth Whitley, reflects on returning to Spain with the YO thirty years after their last visit and the power of music to build cultural bridges
By Sandy Choi, Community Engagement and Digital Media Manager
Maestro Whitley conducts the Youth Philharmonic at the Winter 2021 concert.
“Hey, we’re going a trip to Japan, you should come!” That’s how Maestro Kenneth Whitley, now a Principal Conductor of both the Youth Orchestra and Youth Philharmonic, first joined the DCYOP family as a high school junior.
That 1978 tour to Japan was just the beginning of a relationship that has spanned decades and many life changes. And it’s taken him on subsequent tours to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korean, Spain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as a member of the DCYOP staff.
Mr. Whitley’s career at DCYOP officially began after he completed his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the University of Michigan. Although he started out as a sectional coach, he quickly rose through the ranks as a conductor, beginning with the Preparatory Orchestra in 1986. By the 1991-1992 season, he was conducting the Youth Orchestra.
Maestro Whitley and members of the Youth Orchestra at the Washington National Cathedral Choral Society Festival just before departing on their tour to Spain in 1992.
This was also the year that Mr. Whitley made his international debut as principal conductor of the Youth Orchestra on its tour to Spain. The orchestra presented not one but two full programs of ambitious music that included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn.
“We took two complete concerts on tour in part because we were in Spain for twelve days and we gave nine concerts in those twelve days. It was exhausting! And yet, they did what kids do and they just pulled it out. One of my most memorable experiences as a conductor was conducting Beethoven’s Sixth. The kids, they just came alive.”
As anyone who has ever had the privilege to tour knows, the experience is not just about making the music.
“There are two things that I always come back to in remembering this tour,” says Mr. Whitley. “One of them are the beautiful, ancient cathedrals that we played in. Probably four of five were in these tiny, tiny villages where the center of the town was the cathedral, the church in the middle of the town plaza. The second part was this feast that the people in the community would throw for us. All homemade foods, all people who were just humble people who were just so appreciative of music and of this young American orchestra who has come to visit their town.
“Those were such great exchanges and moments for our kids. It was revealing for them to see how they contributed to someone else’s life for a moment. Many of our kids never traveled before, and just hadn’t had experiences outside of the United States. And to have that kind of an embrace was really powerful.”
Mr. Whitley believes that the upcoming tour presents priceless opportunities for students to not only learn and grow but to also showcase all the hard work and effort they have poured into their music over the past few years.
“I’m really excited that our kids will get to sit with other students, exchange ideas and just broaden our cultural friendships. I’m excited about collaboration and having the opportunity to share music. That’s always something I think our kids need to experience so I’m glad we’re able to do that.”
Learning to navigate the challenges of the pandemic have given our students a new energy and put power behind the music they are playing, according to Mr. Whitley.
“They are on a mission to be heard, to be with each other and to serve the music. They are absolutely ready for this trip in terms of where they are not just as musicians but with their hearts also in the right place.”
By Sandy Choi, Community Engagement and Digital Media Manager
Gianandrea Noseda, Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, conducts members of the Youth Orchestra. (photo: Dylan Singleton)
Last month, DCYOP celebrated a true highlight of the season: the long-awaited return visit from acclaimed conductor Gianandrea Noseda, Music Director of DC’s own National Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Noesda visited program last month to conduct our Youth Orchestra in a rehearsal and participate in a Q&A with them. It was the third time the Maestro has come to conduct at DCYOP, the most recent time being back in February 2020 just before the pandemic brought everything to a halt. Maestro Noseda’s return provided an opportunity for the entire program to celebrate the enduring commitment and resilience of our students through two long years.
“He brings such joy and inspiration,” said Evan Ross Solomon, DCYOP’s Artistic and Music Director. “Our students just really, really enjoy working with him and feeling the positive musical energy that he brings with him.”
Just as Maestro Noseda led the advanced symphonic orchestra in an insightful rehearsal of an iconic work (Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5) during his last visit, he once again brought his extensive knowledge and expertise to bear in another beloved standard, Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 (“Unfinished”).
Liberty Kessler, a member of the first violin section, remembers Noseda’s last visit well. “When I learned he was coming here again, I was very excited…He’s able to make it fun for us while setting boundaries for what he expects of us and pushing us as a conductor. A lot of it is him allowing us to interpret it in our way and use our technique to interpret it differently rather than telling us what technique to do…I think that’s one thing that I enjoy about his conducting.”
For Amalia Levitin, a flutist who just joined DCYOP for the first time this season, the experience was equally thrilling. “It was really cool and eye-opening how he paid attention to all these little details that I had never even thought of before and really made the music come alive.”
In the Q&A that followed a reading of the first movement of the Schubert, Maestro Noseda shared his musical journey to becoming a conductor with the students as well as his thoughts on the lifelong value of studying music.
For Austin Adaranijo, a horn player and Pathways scholar, learning that the Maestro’s career path was driven by his deep love of music, and not necessarily conducting, was inspiring. “Somebody asked what inspired him to become a conductor. He said that he didn’t want to be at first, he just wanted to see music from different perspectives. I thought that was pretty cool.”
When asked about his inspiration, Maestro Noseda shared, “It seems an easy answer but it’s the love for the music and the conviction that the music has a language (with) the power to bring people together. Music is a big teacher for me (in learning) how to serve others more than serving myself. It’s not about me.”
Maestro Solomon perhaps best summed up what made this opportunity so meaningful for everyone in the orchestra that day. “We all try to transcend our instruments, transcend ourselves as individuals to be part of something greater, which is serving the music. One of the things he said is to imagine the music and do whatever is possible to then create that music. And that’s really what it’s all about with performing, to get past the technical limitations of instruments and be part of something magical, spiritual even. And that’s what making great music is. It’s amazing that a maestro can come in and help our students recognize this.”
Even beyond great music-making, Maestro Noseda emphasized the influential and uplifting role music can play in anyone’s life, no matter what path they may choose to follow. “Just the fact that music is part of your life, that is incredibly important. Because you know, music, when there are very joyful and happy moments, helps the joy to be even more complete. When there are difficult moments, the music can really…console you and to motivate you to build a different way of society. So, continue. Because to have music in your life is one of the greatest friends you can ever make.”
Watch the YouTube video below to see highlights of Maestro Noseda’s rehearsal and Q&A with our Youth Orchestra.
Last month, we had the great pleasure of welcoming acclaimed flutist Anthony Trionfo to DCYOP, where he gave a masterclass featuring some of our top flute students. Anthony is not just a prize-winning soloist but also a dedicated music educator and activist who is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion work in the field of classical music.
You can learn more about Anthony in our Q&A or watch highlights from his masterclass below. Thanks so much to Anthony and Young Concert Artists for making this special visit possible.
How did you get started on flute? Were there any people or organizations that supported you and inspired you on your journey to becoming a professional musician?
I was an eleven-year-old aspiring Broadway actor navigating an unhealthy Britney Spears obsession, paired with a black belt from my elementary school’s “Recorder Karate” music class when the flute came into my life. I remember watching the top middle school Wind Ensemble perform during 6th grade orientation and being enthralled by the piccolos chirping virtuosic passages that soared above the entire band. I knew I needed to join the band and play this instrument that, to me, seemed like the Queen of all instruments. The moment I made my first sound on the flute, a light switch went off in my soul and I knew this is what I would be doing forever. I was running full steam ahead, practicing as much as I could and loving every single moment of it.
I was extremely lucky to have mentors from the very beginning that saw my passion and potential. My first band directors, Mr. Mack and Mr. Reid, set me up with a flute teacher who I ended up studying with for years and who I consider one of my personal heroes, Dr. Megan Lanz. From there I went to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, MI where I studied with Nancy Stagnitta. I did my conservatory training at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, studying under Jim Walker. I am blessed to have had amazing experiences with such supportive individuals and I would definitely not be where I am today without them.
We know that community engagement and mentoring young artists, particularly young artists of color, is really important to you. Can you talk about this a little bit?
Growing up, music classes and private lessons were the best parts of my week. For me, studying music was a way of connecting with myself, connecting with others, and allowing the more challenging aspects of my home life to take a backseat for a little while. I consider certain teachers extensions of my family, and I know firsthand the special power that can come from having a good mentor. Because of this, I always hoped to create a space for students to feel the same way when working with me.
The study of music in itself is a massive privilege. If it wasn’t for individuals who went above and beyond to help me with the financial, equipment, travel, and emotional needs of studying music, I wouldn’t have been able to keep doing what I do. That is why I make a point of working with communities needing more accessibility and opportunities to shine in the music field.
I’ve taught through the Jumpstart Program, which provides instruments, sectionals, full ensembles, and private lessons to students from families that would otherwise not be able to support musical education in Los Angeles County. I’ve toured across California narrating a story I created called “Pedro on the Beach,” a retelling of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” geared towards creating a more relatable story for California’s young students. I’ve also toured with an educational show for younger students that teaches them about the power of “unity” in music and introduces them to various composers and instruments.
Currently, I teach through MusicAlly, which allows students to study in a way that is not a financial burden on their families and I am a creator and Development Chair of the UMOJA Flute Institute.
Could you tell us a little bit more about the UMOJA Flute Institute? How and why were you inspired to create this organization? What are UMOJA’s plans for the future?
UMOJA Flute Institute was created in the summer of 2020 with our inaugural festival taking place in July 2021. It is the result of fifteen flutists of African descent from all over the country coming together entirely virtually to create this organization! The mission of UMOJA is to:
Provide flutists of African descent with the tools needed to succeed and thrive at all levels of music making
Foster an international community of flutists
Celebrate flutists of African descent and their contributions to music
Expose flutists to the diverse experiences and opportunities of the flute world
The idea of UMOJA came as a call to create a space for Black flutists to thrive and reclaim joy during a time that was deeply unsettling. The pandemic was just beginning to show us how long it would stick around, the wrongful deaths of our Black brothers and sisters were running rampant with no sense of justice being served, and our spirits were suffering. What came from a dire beginning has blossomed into a nonprofit organization that is continuing to grow and inspire. We are currently planning our next summer festival in addition to organizing professional development and educational workshops. We also offer free masterclasses to our members and are a resource for anyone needing assistance. We have members from all over the world!
Watch Anthony working with four of our flutists during last month’s masterclass and check out more content on the DCYOP YouTube channel:
Riding the high of the previous night’s concert in Torremolinos, we enjoyed a leisurely morning in Granada – time to catch up on sleep, lounge by the pool, or get those last souvenirs and explore another of Spain’s historic Andalusian cities.
And that’s a wrap on #DCYOIBERIA 2022! While friends and family back home are celebrating Independence Day, we will be making our way back home, eager to share experiences and start planning for more exciting adventures ahead. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we continue to share more footage of our tour performances and experiences. Hasta la próxima!
Last month, we had the great pleasure of welcoming acclaimed flutist 
