JOY is a kindergartener playing the violin.

Hello Friends of JOY!

We had a very successful and busy spring concert season with a combined thirteen concerts for our two after school orchestra programs and nine K-1 violin programs. A highlight of the concert season was the first ever Jubilee concert that combined the Oregon El Sistema programs JOY and BRAVO. The Jubilee concert was a celebration of El Sistema turning 50 years old! We combined our students with students from BRAVO in a two day event. One night, JOY hosted at George Fox University in Newberg, and the next, BRAVO hosted in Portland. At the George Fox University concert, JOY and BRAVO students combined for the final piece and there were 95 students performing on stage all together! In true El Sistema fashion, students had parts that were adjusted to different difficulty levels so that everyone could successfully participate. After the success of the event, we look forward to potentially getting together with BRAVO on a future collaboration. 

We are preparing for the fall term by working with principals to finalize K-1 scheduling. We will have nine schools for the K-1 in school and four after school orchestra sites that serve six schools. In these programs alone, we plan to serve 1,200 students. 

In the Fall, JOY launches its JOY Youth Orchestra program for 4-12 graders. This program will meet once a week and combine students from all over Yamhill County. Auditions took place in May and fifty two students will be joining this season. These students are split into two levels. The JOY Prelude Strings is meant for 4-8 grade string players with at least two years of experience and the JOY Symphony is meant for 7-12 graders who are ready for a more difficult caliber of music. We were excited for a competitive candidate pool for the JOY Youth Orchestra conducting positions. The conductor for the JOY Symphony is Damian Berdakin. Mr. Berdakin joins JOY with years of experience in the HS symphonic realm. He is currently the high school director at South Salem High School and will continue that role while conducting the JOY Symphony. The conductor for JOY Prelude Strings is Sarah Barr. Mrs. Barr has taught orchestra at the MS and HS level in Newberg, led both JOY K-1 and after school orchestra classes, and is currently the music teacher at Newby Elementary School. We are proud to have these excellent directors joining our staff.

This week, we are in the middle of our JOY Summer Camp. We are serving 70 3rd-6th grade students in this 8 day summer camp. Filled with games, review of orchestral skills, challenging new pieces, and guest artists, the JOY Summer Camp has become a highlight of summer for our students. This year we had Fear No Music’s Dr. Kirsten Volness. Dr. Volness talked about improvisation and the steps to composition. Students enjoyed experimenting with different sounds on their instruments in a writing workshop. 

Led by a fantastic JOY Summer Camp staff, we are excited to share our students’ hard work with families and friends at the end of camp performance. Additionally we have a brand new concert event entitled “Sounds of JOY”. JOY teaching artists, JOY Summer Camp students, and renowned Concert Rock Violinist Aaron Meyer will perform in a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere at Newberg’s Chehalem Cultural Center. Community members and sponsors of YES will savor local wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and delicious eats from on-site food trucks as we celebrate the power of music and community.

We remain excited about what lies ahead for JOY.