Loudoun musicians to perform in Venezuela
By Elizabeth Coe
A handful of young musicians from Loudoun County will join others from around the world this week in Venezuela to perform as the International Youth Orchestra.
The ensemble, made up of 140 performers, gathers every year under maestra Gabriela Bohnett, of Leesburg, who created the International Youth Orchestra program in 2004.
"I'm just looking forward to seeing the conductors from Venezuela. They're incredibly amazing," said 16-year-old Alicia Potes, of Leesburg, a violinist and junior at Loudoun County High School, who left for Venezuela March 15. "And I'm excited to see the culture there."
Bohnett, who teaches music in Leesburg, grew up in Venezuela. She said she created the international orchestra to offer her students a chance to live the experiences she enjoyed when she was younger, playing in the celebrated Venezuelan System of Youth Orchestras.
This is the first time the American students have been to Venezuela, but Alicia said they already know many of the other young musicians there because they have performed together in the United States. Since 2004, youth orchestra performers from various countries have gathered in Leesburg each summer for the Independence Day Concert Series.
"I'm excited," said 17-year-old Annie Scanlon, another student who made this year's trip to South America. "My parents have always taught me that music is part of a proper education, and that makes sense to me. It helps with patience, confidence and it gives you a respect for all the different kinds of music that is out there."
Annie and her sister Claire, 15, both were accepted into the orchestra this year after making it through a difficult tryout on their instrument, the violin.
The sisters have been taking violin lessons from Bohnett for more than 10 years in Leesburg. Even after they moved from Sterling to Kensington, Md., they continue to commute to Loudoun County for her instruction.
"She has a much more open way of teaching, and she's also like a friend," Annie said. "She has a connection with people you don't find often, and she really loves what she does."
Bohnett created the International Youth Orchestra under the Youth Music Preservation and Promotion Association, a nonprofit founded in Leesburg with the mission of creating international understanding through music.
Bohnett said she founded the group because "an orchestra is not just about making music, but rather about a community of people creating something beautiful together."
The young musicians will stay in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, for a week through March 23. There, they'll be exposed to several internationally renowned conductors and meet other talented musicians from around the world.
The performers come from countries such as Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile and the United States.
They rehearse together for a few days, then they get the chance to perform over Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The public will attend the Passion and Glory Concerts, which will feature Symphonies 7 and 9, by Ludwig van Beethoven; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Requiem"; and excerpts from "The Messiah" by George Frideric Handel.
For details, visit www.ymppa.org.
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com