Each year, the young musicians of Vermont Youth Orchestra Association fill The Flynn stage with music in a festival performance that celebrates the lifelong journey of music, and it’s back again. Musicians as young as 9 years old join their peers for uplifting performances of music, culminating in an immersive performance of “Sleigh Ride”on Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. Featured this year will be Vergennes Union High School senior Megan Mentzer on percussion.

With nearly 200 students filling the stage, the aisles, and the front row of The Flynn, OrchestraPalooza highlights the extraordinary impact of music education on the lives of Vermonters — the enthusiasm and talent on display emphasize that when the arts are prioritized, they enrich not only students but the entire community.

Vermont Youth Strings opens the concert, led by conductor Ace Ali and featuring young musicians as young as third grade. This string orchestra plays hard — in rehearsal and on the Fort Ethan Allen playground in Colchester — and young musicians develop an appreciation for their own individual contributions to orchestral playing, in harmony with the contributions of their peers. They’ll perform repertoire from Handel, Schubert, and Pokofiev in this year’s OrchestraPalooza.

Vermont Youth Philharmonia follows, led by Dr. Yutaka Kono. With the addition of winds and brass players, the opportunities for orchestral repertoire expand, and this ensemble offers many young musicians their first experience playing in a full symphony orchestra. They prepare challenging repertoire that is relevant to their lives, including contemporary, diverse composers and exciting selections from movies and other media. In this concert, they’ll perform works by Brahms, Doris Gazda, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Joe Hisaishi. 

Each year, senior soloists are chosen from the Vermont Youth Orchestra to represent the VYOA’s dedication to artistic excellence. Percussionist Mentzer from Ferrisburgh, will perform the first movement from Darius Milhaud’s Concerto for Marimba and Vibraphone, op. 278, with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Mentzer is a senior at Vergennes Union High School, and completing her senior year at Vermont State University’s Castleton Campus through Vermont’s Early College program. She selected the Milhaud concerto because of its musical significance — as one of the first concertos written for percussion, some of the techniques used were very experimental at the time.

“I’ve been playing since fifth grade, when I joined the percussion section of my elementary school band,” said Mentzer. “Being a percussionist is great because, unlike a violinist, flautist, or any other member in the orchestra, I could go through an entire concert without playing the same instrument twice. I love the diverse range of percussion, from jazz drum kit, to orchestral timpani, and even solo marimba. There’s always something new to learn!

“I’m excited to perform the concerto I’ve been preparing for over a year,” she continued. “There’s a lot of pressure to get every moment right, and I hope that everything goes as I’ve practiced it! I’m also excited to hear all of the ensembles perform, and to spend time with my family after.”

Finally, Vermont Youth Orchestra, our flagship ensemble performs “Waltz of the Flowers” from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 2. Led by Dr. Mark Alpízar, Vermont Youth Orchestra members represent nearly 25 schools in counties across the state. In the VYOA’s newest tradition, the performance of “Pomp and Circumstance” will involve a member of the audience who wins the annual Baton Auction.

Tickets cost $20 – $23 and are available through flynnvt.org.