Upcoming Events, Concerts, and Overview

2009-2010 Concerts and events coming later this summer! Please enjoy the photo gallery from the 2009 Spring Concert.

For audition information and dates, please see the Audition page.

Time for Three bassist Ranaan Meyer, kicks it up a notch in rehearsal with RSYO	Time for Three, guest artists for the March 8, 2008 RSO Pops concert worked with RSYO students in rehearsal – inspiring them to “feel the excitement” in a march by Benjamin Britten. Nick Kendall conducts while Zack De Pue sits in as second violin.

The RSYO String Quartet performs four times each semester throughout the community. Pictured here are the members of the 2007/08 ensemble, Ava Norberg – first violin; Emily Koloch – second violin; Alan Hale – viola; Bethany Koloch – cello.

Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra Overview

The Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) has provided quality orchestral training for young people in the region for over four decades. Founded in 1965 by Donald Zimmerman, RSYO continues its affiliation with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra as its parent organization. Members of the RSO have led RSYO musicians as conductors and served as sectional coaches for the past fifteen years. Michael Beert who led RSYO from 1991-2001 plays cello in the RSO, and his predecessor Hsien-Liang Lien also served as a cello section musician with the RSO until his return to his native Taiwan in 2004. Alison Gaines is the RSO’s principal bass and joined the organization at the beginning of the 2004-05 season. (see biography on Alison Gaines below)

Jack Simon, a Rockford musician active in a wide number of musical activities in the region and former RSYO conductor from 1979-1983, recently stated that the youth symphony experience gave him the special chance to work with a number of very talented students. “The Youth Symphony gave students an opportunity to learn and perform music they would possibly not have had a chance to experience,” commented Mr. Simon, “ RSYO played an important role in supplementing the music experience students received in their high school band and orchestra programs.”
RSYO is comprised of students from all across Northern Illinois, including Belvidere, Rochelle, Dixon, Pecatonica, Freeport and Rockford, who have a love of classical music and a desire to improve their skills while performing as an ensemble. Auditions are held annually in late spring for the next concert season. Rehearsals are held on Sunday afternoons from 2:00-4:30 p.m.
The program is a challenging and fun music education experience for approximately sixty high school students who make up the orchestra. RSYO rehearses weekly and performs for the public throughout the year. Tuition varies with each concert cycle. There are some scholarships available. For additional information call 815.972.2939.

Conductor: Ms. Alison Gaines Alison Gaines is a native of the Los Angeles area. Currently the conductor for the Rockford Area Youth Symphony Orchestra, Alison also guest conducts the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, the Central Iowa Symphony Orchestra as well as serving as principal double bass for the RSO. She holds a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Kansas and hold a master’s degree in bass performance from the University of Southern California.

Ms. Gaines has also studied at the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina, The Conductor’s Institute at Bard, NY and participated in the League of American Orchestra’s Donald Thulean Master Classes. She has served as music director for several orchestras in Kansas and in Kansas City, MO as well as at the University of Kansas. Prior to pursuing her conducting studies and career, Ms. Gaines worked as a bassist with the Tulsa Philharmonic (as principal) and the St. Louis Symphony (as a substitute).

She has received fellowships from the New York String Ensemble, the Tanglewood Music Festival and has been a concerto soloist with such orchestras as the National Repertory Orchestra, the Breckenridge Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and the Tulsa Philharmonic.