ALTON/GODFREY - The Alton Youth Symphony will perform its Fall Concert under new director Rebecca Pantano.
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At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at Hatheway Hall on the Lewis and Clark Community College campus, the symphony will perform four pieces alongside the Alton Junior Youth Symphony and the Chamber Ensemble. The concert is free to attend. Pantano said she has enjoyed working with the Alton Youth Symphony (AYS) in the past few months, and she looks forward to watching them perform this weekend.
“The goal for me is just to plant that seed that music is something that they can have in their life all the time, even if they don’t major in it,” Pantano said. “They’ll always have their instrument. Just knowing that there’s no boundaries, that anything’s possible with hard work and dedication.”
Pantano teaches middle school in a school district in Missouri, where she has conducted several choirs and orchestras. She also operates a successful private studio and has watched her students earn top ratings and place in prestigious orchestras across the state.
With over 20 years of experience, Pantano was excited to work with the middle school-aged musicians in AYS. She has been pleased to discover that the students are “just so genuinely nice” and as eager to learn as she is to teach.
Over the past few months, she has been impressed by the set-up of AYS and how the Board advocates for the musicians. She thanked Board President Jamie Pullen and manager Jessica Poddig. The community’s support for the symphony is also inspiring to Pantano as a musician and director.
“It’s such a well-oiled machine. I’m saying they make it easy,” Pantano explained. “I can focus on the kids and the music because all those other structures are in place.”
After the Fall Concert, the AYS musicians will begin preparing for auditions for the spring season. All musicians must audition, and anyone is welcome to try out. Auditions will be held on Jan. 10 and 11, 2025, at LCCC. For more information about auditions, click here.
Pantano recognizes that auditions can be nerve-wracking. But she encourages hopeful musicians to practice and try their best.
“The key to a successful audition is preparation. Everybody gets nervous, but it’s just being prepared, being ready,” she advised. “They don’t have to take private lessons. Just practicing their part, being proficient on their instrument, and being able to read music. Preparation and practice.”
She noted that while AYS is a great outlet for the kids as musicians, it also provides opportunities for them to grow their social skills. The students learn the etiquette for performing in an orchestra and form friendships with people they might not normally talk to. Pantano believes that AYS and music education is a way for students to learn more about the world and themselves.
“[We’re] teaching them life skills through music, because music is related to every discipline,” she said. “Even in school, it’s an extension of everything that they’re learning and it should enhance it, enhance their life. That’s my goal, to teach them how it can enhance their life.”
Looking forward, Pantano hopes to help AYS expand and bring in more wind and brass players. For more information about Alton Youth Symphony, their upcoming concert or auditions, visit their official website at AltonYouthSymphony.org.
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