• Auditions this week!
• Sept 7, 9a: Western States Honor Orchestra application materials deadline.
• Sept. 17: High school students required to perform at Gala Night
• Business owners, or friends of business owners: advertising brochures are available!
  • Advertising graphics and payments due by September 15, 2016, to ensure a full year’s worth of advertising.
• New volunteer opportunities
  • Please see El Sistema opportunities below
  • The orchestra needs a music librarian.  This could be one or several people to come in and file music for us (there’s a lot!).  Please contact tyreeworld@centurylink.net if interested.
• 2016-2017 performance schedule at end

SAVE THE DATE!

URGENT

Western States Honor Orchestra DEADLINE

Wed 9/7 at 9a

Western States auditions are due on Sept. 16. This year you will be responsible for making your own mp3 according to the guidelines found at http://www.unco.edu/arts/music/wshof/default.html#required%20audition%20materials

Each student who auditions for Western States (WSHO) also needs to complete and sign an application form (located on the WSHO site).  Parents also need to sign these forms, and the application fee of $25 should be attached (checks should be made payable to UNC Orchestras).

WSHO application forms and fees are due to Terrie Tyree by this Wednesday, September, 7th,  9am.  Terrie will get Dr. Lasansky’s & Mr. Kohut’s signature and mail to WSHO as a group.  If forms are late you will be responsible for obtaining signatures and mailing.  These forms, along with other audition materials, are due to WSHO by September 16, 2016.

In addition, if off-campus forms have not been completed, please complete them as soon as possible.  Instructions are at the bottom of this email.

Auditions

I don’t know many people who enjoy auditions. However they are used frequently in the performing arts world.   The good news is that the more experience you can get by taking auditions the easier the process  becomes.

I wanted to give you some advice. I’m thinking mainly of the 9th graders who are coming into Advanced Orchestra, since this may be your first time preparing orchestral excerpts (Western States material). The important thing is to make sure you have a very good concept of the piece (movement) the excerpt is taken from. You can’t be very musical when you play if you don’t have this knowledge. Please listen to (at least) the movement your excerpt is taken from (a bunch of times!) so you understand the mood, the tempo, and how the part “fits in”.

I want to emphasize musicality as a crucial element in evaluations this year. This means playing with feeling, phrasing, dynamics, color and having some knowledge of the pieces and the composers.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,
Dr. Lasansky

Auditions September 6-9

High School: Western States audition music

Middle School:

Follow the same requirements as the entrance auditions (Click Here):

1. A classical solo of your choice (must demonstrate technical and lyrical playing)
2. A major scale, a minor scale and a chromatic scale
3. Sight- reading

Master Mentor/Visiting Artist Program

As we begin the school year, we wanted to remind you about the $350 fee,  per family,  for our Master Mentors program.  This is an expectation for all DSAO families.

For all of our new members of DSAO: we use this money throughout the year  to bring in a whole team of outstanding musicians to work with DSAO students. These mentors work with individual sections, coach chamber music, and sometimes work one on one with students. This  aspect of the  DSAO program is one of the main things that set us apart from other school orchestra programs and help us achieve the excellence we are accustomed to.

Contributions can be made by check or through the DSA Friends Foundation at www.dsafriends.org.  If you can’t make the payment all at once, please do so in monthly installments.   Please make checks payable to DSA Friends Foundation, and put “Orchestra family contribution” or “master mentor” in the memo line.
This is also a fantastic way for family and friends to support your student! Please pass along the dsafriends.org website link to those you know are interested in supporting our programs.

For further information, please visit the OFA Fundraising website.

Investing in DSAO
Attention Business Owners – Friends and Family!

Welcome to the new school year! As you head back to school, please consider promoting your business (or promoting your friend’s business) in this year’s DSAO concert programs. (CLICK HERE for brochure). Advertising money helps fund the orchestra program, and has the added bonus of helping our families and friends promote their businesses!

Ad Submittals: It’s incredibly easy to submit advertising artwork/logos/business cards via email to Mark Herlinger, our advertising and program graphic designer. If you need assistance designing your advertisement, Mark will help you with that too! For questions about graphic guidelines to submit advertisements, please contactmarkherlinger@gmail.com.

Payment: Via check – Once payment is received (please turn in checks to Tracy Holt, DSA Arts Secretary in the Front Office) the advertisement will be placed in the program which is printed for all major orchestra concerts throughout the year.

Advertising graphics and payments due by September 15, 2016. This deadline is set to ensure business owners receive the benefit of the full year of advertising in the DSAO Concert program.

 Buy groceries, support DSAO

Make sure you purchase a reloadable King Soopers card! It’s simple to get started with a $2.50 card.  Each time you reload the card, DSAO gets 5% back! Everyone buys groceries, so it a very easy way for friends and family to contribute as well. You may email Carol Fennell for information about purchasing a card.

DSA is collecting Boxtops!

DSA receives free money for each box top turned in.  Please group the box tops in a bag or envelope, and mark them with “Orchestra” so that the funds will come to us.  The collection box is located in the main office.

Colorado Chamber Players:
Jewish Sounds of Soviet Russia

The award-winning Colorado Chamber Players will be performing on the prestigious JAAMM Festival series this year at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 11/16/16, 7 p.m.,  and they have generously offered 50 tickets to the DSA community for $10 each.  DSA students, faculty and staff can use the code DSA10 after September 1st,  by calling the Mizel box office at 303-316-6360 or by going online at:  http://maccjcc.org/. Tickets are usually $18/$20, this is a substantial discount for the DSA community.

Elaine Wolf Theatre
$20 Adult, $18 Student/Senior (non-discount price)

Jewish and Yiddish music have always found their way into Russian music. The role of Jewish composers in Russia changed dramatically after the rise of Stalin and after World War II.  While Jewish music was officially banned (or declared non-existent) after World War II, many composers continued to incorporate Jewish themes into their pieces.

Russian composers Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev and Jewish composers Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Mikhail Gnesin all managed to weave Ashkenazi Jewish folk music into their compositions, in spite of anti-Semitic repression under Stalin’s rule.  This evening’s program explores specific pieces with Jewish elements by these composers.  Colorado Chamber Players musicians offer spoken program notes.

Program:
Overture on Hebrew Themes, Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Quintet, op. 11, “Requiem”, Mikhail Gnesin
Excerpt, Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet, Igor Stravinsky
Intermission
Excerpt from String Quartet no. 4, op. 83, Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Quintet, op.18, Mieczyslaw Weinberg

4th Annual Fiddle Competition

Sponsored by
Colorado Elks and American Furniture

CLICK HERE for more information

Colorado violinists in grades 3rd to 12th are invited to participate in three grade categories.

A non-refundable $10.00 registration fee is required in order to participate. This needs to be sent along with the registration form (see attached). Make your check out to “Colorado Elks Association.” The registration fee and form must be received by September 30, 2016.

Mail your form and check to: Ken McIntosh, 8989 W. 14th Avenue, #405-South, Lakewood, CO 80215.
Contact Ken McIntosh at kenmcintosh@idcomm.com or 303-234-0469 for the music and sound files.

DSAO  SCHEDULE 2016/17

Friday 10/7 Orchestra Concert 7:00 PM  Concert Hall
Sat. 10/8 Orchestra Concert 3:00 PM Concert Hall

Thursday  11/17 Chamber Music Concert 7:00 PM Concert Hall

Saturday 12/10  Orchestra Concert  7:00 PM Concert Hall
Sunday 12/11 Orchestra Concert 3:00 PM Concert Hall

Saturday 1/21  Full Orchestra Concert 7:00pm Concert Hall
Sunday 1/22   Full Orchestra Concert 3:00pm Concert Hall

Friday March 3 7p  L’Histoire du Soldat Concert Hall
Saturday March 4 3p and 7p   L’Histoire du Soldat  Concert Hall

Friday 3/10 Orchestra  Concert 7:00 PM Concert Hall
Saturday  3/11 Orchestra Concert 3:00 PM Concert Hall

Friday 4/28    Chamber Concert 7:00 PM  Concert Hall

Friday  5/12     Disney/Pops Orchestra  Concert 7:00 PM  Concert Hall
Sat.     5/13   Disney/Pops Orchestra Concert  7:00 PM  Concert Hall
Sunday 5/14   Disney/Pops Orchestra Concert  3:00 PM  Concert Hall

Complete Forms for off-campus activities

 Please note the Power of Attorney and Consent for Emergency Care forms, and a copy of the medical insurance card must be completed and turned in for each student any off-campus overnight trip/event, even those events where parents are in attendance.  The Power of Attorney form requires both parents to sign and is required to be notarized. You may find a notary at your local bank, or you may contact either Tracy Holt in the main office or Linda Vliet in the counseling office and ask if they can notarize for you.  Both parents must be present to sign if not already completed. Please date both forms for the entire school year so you only have to do this once.  Otherwise you have to complete both for all trips/events.  These forms are available on the DSAO website  (Click Here).  Please print, complete, have notarized and drop off in the orchestra forms box in the orchestra room.

For students who have medical conditions or who take medications (including over the counter medications), you need to contact the school nurse for the current school year forms for the trip (Please see forms link on website for these forms).