I joined the organization back when it was called PSG. I spent one year in strings before moving up to work with Dr. Temme in Symphonette. The name changed to PYS in the middle of my first year with Dr. Temme, but to this day, I still use the old acronym of PSG to this day. After two years in Symphonette, I moved up to Youth, the year Ben Rous took to the podium. My senior year, Ben left us, and we got Kei.
The music choices between Ben and Kei were hilarious. Ben preferred the classical pieces that Everyone knows. Scheherazade, Beethoven’s 5th, and the Firebird Suite, to name a few.
Kei liked more modern pieces, such as Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams,(which I still can’t count properly) and Global Warming by Michael Abels.
The best memories I have are from the retreats and the side-by-side concerts. The ping-pong games at Camp Sky-Y where the ball was in play until it stopped moving, the copious amount of card games, and the skits about Kei’s life were hilarious. Actually, rehearsals with Kei were often the best part of my week. (Duck pen, anyone?)
The piece we played for my first side-by-side was The Planets. Two orchestras playing Mars was an experience I thought would never repeat itself. At least until the next side-by-side came around, where we played Shostakovich’s 5th symphony. Incredible.
But life moves on, and I am sad to leave, but glad to have played in youth when I did.