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Playing for Keeps is a unique and comprehensive music education project, which was initiated in 2001 by the Oregon East Symphony Board of Directors.
The Goals of the project are:
· To help rural young people gain access to new cultural opportunities. · To forge new alliances between the OES and local school districts. · To give young people who cannot afford musical instruction and/or instruments a chance to participate in music lessons, rehearsal and performance. · To develop a new awareness concerning the role of a community orchestra and chorus in the cultural health of Eastern Oregon.
Ten Projects make up the Playing for Keeps project:
A-Sharp Players This preparatory orchestra is open by audition to mid-level musicians of any age and gives them the opportunity to experience performing with a large ensemble. The program is directed by Ken Woods, conductor of the Oregon East Symphony. Preludes The Preludes string orchestra is open to beginning to intermediate string musicians of any age who can read music. Travis Sipher, Pendleton High School orchestra director and cellist with the OES, directs this group.
Young Voices of Eastern Oregon This choral group gives young people 6-16 the opportunity to perform in a choir led by Cheryl Carlson.
Music Lesson and Instrument Scholarships Students are supported in the study of their chosen instrument through a fund that helps with the cost of music lessons and instrument rental. Young people, their parents, or their teachers who would like to apply for this kind of scholarship assistance should contact the Symphony office.
Musician Scholarships Young people who perform with the Symphony or Chorale are provided with stipends and travel costs for each concert that they participate in. This allows them to pursue their musical studies instead of having to hold down part-time jobs.
Young Artists Competition A professional review panel conducts competitive auditions for young musicians in the region. Winners of this competition are invited to perform with the Symphony as a featured soloist.
Family and Young People’s Concerts This annual concert features the winners of the Symphony’s Young Artists Competition and offers a youth-oriented concert program. The concert is also performed again twice during a weekday for school groups from the area.
Tickets for Kids During each school year, the OES distributes free regular season concert tickets to area youth throughout the school system.
School Visits As a supplement to the public school arts curriculum, OES musicians, guest artists, and singers arrange visits to area classrooms during the school year in order to deliver master classes, instrument demonstrations, and ensemble performances.
Music Camp Each summer, young musicians from all over the Pacific Northwest participate in the annual Summer Music Camp. The five-day camp features professional instruction and tutorials in a variety of musical disciplines and ends with a Finale Concert.
Please contact the OES office for more information about any of these programs. |
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Recent Playing for Keeps Events |
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May 2007—A-Sharp Players and Preludes Retreat at Bar-M Ranch |
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The Mission of the Oregon East Symphony is to operate, support, and maintain a symphony orchestra in Eastern Oregon, and thereby to enhance the quality of life in the region by providing to the population of this rural area a dependable source of live orchestral and choral music, with special emphasis on youth educational opportunities.
This website is owned and maintained by the Oregon East Symphony © 2007 The Oregon East Symphony is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization established in 1986 This site is generously sponsored by UNICOM |
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November 2007— A-Sharp Players Retreat at the YWCA in Walla Walla, WA |
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June 2007— The Singing Bows Quartet plays at the Pendleton Farmers Market |
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May 2007— A-Sharp Players School Tour in Pendleton, Oregon |
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July 2007— Summer Music Camp at Blue Mountain Community College |
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January 2008 — A-Sharp Players and Preludes Retreat at the Pendleton Center for the Arts |
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February 2008 — Young Artist Competition |
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March 2008 — Baroque Strings Workshop at the Pendleton Center for the Arts |