By Olivia Zarankov '20
Music has become a fundamental aspect of each of our lives. It accompanies our long trips to school, car rides, relaxation, and extracurriculars. For Raina Tung ‘20, music is life: she plays violin with the highly exclusive and prestigious New York Youth Symphony Orchestra (NYYSO).
Raina’s love for music started early. She has an uncle that plays the violin professionally, and she always looked up to him. The decision to begin playing the violin occurred when Raina was around six years old and asked her mother for violin lessons; she has been playing ever since.
Over the years, this hobby has evolved into a talent that she can take to the stage. The Youth Symphony Orchestra has been around since 1963; it has members from ages 12 to 22 from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, all of whom excel and devote their time to music. The conductors tend to be young, but many go on to accomplishments major milestones throughout their careers. It has gained a reputation for being incredibly professional, and compares to professional orchestras in that aspect.
Our classmate Raina has the honor of being a member of this establishment, and has agreed to answers questions about her experience with the orchestra.
How did you learn about the NYYSO?
I mean, most classical music students in the area know about it. My uncle was in NYYS when he was in high school. My mom, as well as my violin teacher, thought it would be a great experience and that it would help me grow as a musician, so they encouraged me to audition.
What was the audition process like?
Firstly, anyone can sign up, it just has to occur before a yearly season. You simply have to go onto their website, www.nyys.org...and register. For each instrument, they have what they call audition excerpts (basically chunks of music that they want you to play during the audition). What’s nice about that is that all violins, for example, play the exact same thing during their auditions, so they can fairly compare you to other musicians. I practiced all summer. The audition lasted only 10 minutes. They let you warm up in a separate room 10 minutes before. It’s scary: you go into this small room, and the conductor and assistant conductor are right in front of you, and they take notes as you play. Then you just wait a few weeks for their decision. Funny story: I was flipping a page and all my music fell off the stand during my audition.
What is it like being part of the orchestra?
First off, you are surrounded by talented peers, which makes rehearsals really fun, because we make really good music. It’s been an amazing experience because it’s a really high-caliber orchestra. We play huge pieces, and, oh my gosh, we get to perform at Carnegie Hall! We get coached by members of the New York Philharmonic a couple of times a year. When we play concertos, we get to meet and play along with really talented soloists. It’s also completely free! Sponsors, donors, and grants pay for every single kid’s tuition. We’re touring Spain this summer too, which I’m so excited for. Honestly, it’s really what’s keeping me upbeat in this crazy junior year. There’s always something to look forward to every week. It’s really important for everyone to have something like that - something to be excited for and happy about. I just can’t believe I got lucky enough to be a part of this group.
What is your conductor like?
His name is Michael Repper (we call him Mike) and he’s only 28 years old! He graduated from Stanford and then went to Peabody for a conducting degree. He started conducting at age 8, and he’s super talented. He’s outgoing and makes himself very approachable; he kind of treats you like a friend, but he still has some authority so that we don’t slack off. At rehearsal, he’s very efficient with time, and he’s so energetic, which I think rubs off on the orchestra. He also makes chocolate chip cookies for us sometimes, and they’re really good.
I have a YouTube channel, Raina’s Universe, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have a conductor who is enthusiastic about making NYYS-related videos. Just last week (this was his idea by the way), I strapped a GoPro to his chest, and we got video from the conductor’s point of view. He called it “conductor-cam,” and that was really fun to edit.
Are there high stakes to being part of an orchestra this renowned and professional?
We played Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, which is an insanely difficult piece for any orchestra, let alone a youth orchestra. My conductor was very disappointed in our playing, so he made every single violinist and cellist play solo for him and the section leaders, and any part of the 40-minute piece could be tested. Unfortunately, a few members of the ensemble were removed. However, it pushed everyone to improve their playing, which was really the point of it.
How often do you practice, both on your own and for the orchestra?
So, there is rehearsal, and there is practice. Practice is done at home by myself, by choice, and I usually try to do an hour every day, with some exceptions because of school and extracurriculars. I wish I could do more, because that isn’t a lot. Practice is a time to really learn and perfect your music. Orchestra rehearsal, on the other hand, is four hours every Sunday. The goal of rehearsal is to practice playing as a group, fit all the parts together, and make what we’re playing more musical. You have to show up with your part completely practiced. If you don’t, we can’t really get very far in rehearsal. I guess you could say practice is preparation for the rehearsal.
How has the orchestra inspired you?
Being in NYYS has pushed me to become a better musician and team player. Everyone relies on each other, and there are high expectations. I am so grateful that Mike is my conductor, because he has so much energy and is so passionate about his work. He moves and jumps around like a crazy person when we play, but I love it because when I see these movements and see his face and see how much he loves what he’s doing, it makes me feel so good about what I’m doing, and that inspires me to push myself to get better.
How will you let music influence your future?
In the future, I don’t see myself pursuing music for a career. I really want to go into science. I’ll definitely do orchestra in college, though. Thinking about the fact that I, at some point, won’t have time to pick up violin and play like I can now makes me sad.
What are the performances like?
So, we have 3 cycles, and each cycle means a new set of repertoire. We play a couple of community concerts, and each cycle ends with our Carnegie Hall concert...They are about 2 hours long, and they are a blast! I always get sad afterward because it means that we won’t be playing those pieces again.
Go to nyys.org for tickets to the next show!
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