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Wichita Youth Symphony Wraps Up Season

Mandy A. Riedel

Credit Courtesy photo
Youth Orchestra Manager Ann DuPuis

The Wichita Symphony’s youth orchestra program recently wrapped up the fall semester with a concert in downtown Wichita.

More than 200 student musicians from South Central Kansas, ranging in from ages 10 to 18, make up the three orchestras that performed.

This youth orchestra program is the largest of its kind in Kansas and has been inspiring young musicians for 67 years.

KMUW’s Deborah Shaar introduces us to the woman who’s been leading the charge for more than two decades.

Credit Douglas Hahn
A coach during a chamber rehearsal.

The Symphony maintains three active youth orchestras:

  • Youth Chamber Players - string students from fourth to tenth grade.
  • Repertory Orchestra - comprised of students in grades seven through twelve.
  • Youth Symphony - comprised of students in grades seven through twelve.

All three orchestras are conducted by respected professionals in the music education community, and each section of instruments also receives instruction from section coaches during rehearsal.

Credit Douglas Hahn
A chamber rehearsal.

The youth orchestras will present a spring concert on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 3:00 p.m at the Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita. Auditions are generally held in early May.

Deborah joined the news team at KMUW in September 2014 as a news reporter. She spent more than a dozen years working in news at both public and commercial radio and television stations in Ohio, West Virginia and Detroit, Michigan. Before relocating to Wichita in 2013, Deborah taught news and broadcasting classes at Tarrant County College in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area.