Even at a young high school age, almost all members of our orchestra realized the distinction of the Concertgebouw as one of the most important, historic and famous concert halls in the world.  Needless to say, we had all circled the date of our performance in Amsterdam, and were eagerly anticipating our arrival in The Netherlands.  The main work on the program, as many of us remember, was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #4.  I can still remember the excitement of walking onto the stage and taking in the view of the beautiful and unique sophistication of the hall itself.  Little did I know that this would only be the first of countless performances in the Concertgebouw. 

Fast forward nine-and-a-half years to January of this year, where I find myself already four months into a position as a regular member in the first violin section of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a dream-come-true in its own right.  On the program for an early January week was none other than Tchaikovsky’s Fourth.  Obviously, the memories of CYSO returned, and the irony of the situation became a beautiful thing.  I felt as though I had completed some kind of circle returning to the piece I performed in the hall when I was a 15-year old student visiting with a youth orchestra, and now performing it as a member of the world-famous Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in their regular home.  Just to mention, I had no other opportunities to play Tchaikovsky’s Fourth in between the CYSO performance and the recent RCO performance.

As I already mentioned, winning a position in this orchestra was a dream-come-true; for the fact that I have always wanted to land a job in a high-level orchestra.  This desire without a doubt contains its roots in the CYSO.  Again, looking back, I realize that I learned so much and was able to really develop many skills as a musician from my time playing in the CYSO.  Playing together with so many great peers, working with inspiring conductors such as Dan Hege and Rossen Milanov, and getting coached by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra taught me how meaningful playing symphonic music at a high level can be.  When I began preparing my part for the RCO performance of the Tchaikovsky Symphony this year, I was astonished to see how much I had retained from the performance with the CYSO ten years before.  I genuinely hope that today’s members of the CYSO will also find their experiences as meaningful as mine have been.  Thank you so much CYSO!!