The new Montana Youth Symphony Orchestra is presenting its inaugural concert in the new auditorium at Bozeman High School on Sunday, July 30th, at 3pm. The symphony will perform under the direction of conductor Sir Donald Runnicles, general music director for Deutsche Oper Berlin, director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming, and principal guest conductor for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Runnicles served as its chief conductor from 2009 to 2016.
The concert will feature Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21, Mendelssohn’s Symphony #3, and the debut of Montana Music, an original symphonic composition by Ilse-Mari Lee, who says, “A project of passion, from the heart, dedicated to the people of Montana.”
In addition to serving as president of the Montana Youth Symphony, Lee is dean of the Honors College at Montana State University, Bozeman, and a professor of music who joined MSU’s School of Music in 1989.
According to Lee, the orchestra includes young musicians from across the state as well as some who have moved away. “It’s an opportunity for Montanans to return home from places as far away as Florida and Hawaii and perform together. It’s a wonderful showcase of talent and a gift to the whole state of Montana,” Lee says.
The 44 young performers and the organization’s board members represent all areas of the state, from Conrad and Great Falls to Kalispell and Lolo, and include soloists Tanner Jorden of Billings as well as Chontay Standing Rock, a member of the Ojibwe Nehiyaw people of the Rocky Boy reservation. Students were nominated for membership in the symphony, and then submitted audition recordings for consideration by a review panel.
Lee’s goals are for the group to become an outstanding regional youth symphony orchestra, who will perform statewide and even internationally, as cultural ambassadors of Montana. “This group will be outstanding,” she says. “Music education in Montana is extraordinary, though many students don’t continue in music after graduating. This symphony creates an opportunity for young people to build on the excellence of their talents and education; it provides opportunity at the highest level.”
A nonprofit organization, the Montana Youth Symphony is supported by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, Gianforte Family Foundation, and Gilhousen Family Foundation, in addition to local businesses, music and arts organizations, and individual donors.
Tickets for the July 30th gala are $10 in advance at montanayouthsymphony.org/concert, or $15 at the door. The orchestra will also present a concert centered on music and healing for community groups on July 27th at 7pm in the Bozeman High Auditorium, under the direction of resident conductor Gordon Johnson, who served as the conductor of the Great Falls Symphony for 35 years.
For more information about the Montana Youth Symphony, contact visit montanayouthsymphony.org. •
