From the 2016–2017 Annual Report
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I am pleased to report that Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra’s 2016–17 season was a success both musically and operationally.
Our musical theme for the year was “Creative Collaborations.” We enjoyed sharing with our audiences some of the many ways that composers and musicians have collaborated with artists in other genres to create their works, across the centuries as well as today. Highlights included our Percussion Ensemble’s premiere of Christmas Song Suite, by member Aidan Gold, and our Youth Symphony’s performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 12 in D minor, “The Year 1917.” Our annual concerto competition had two winners in 2016–17, Kieran Matz, oboe, and Eugene Chin, viola, who brought two relatively unusual concert pieces to our audiences, Haydn’s Concerto for Oboe in C Major and William Walton’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra. In July, our beginning Summer Strings camp was enlivened by a new Suzuki technique track, welcoming many young students to their first orchestra experience.
Our fundraising exceeded expectations, engaging many new donors while benefiting from the commitment of our long-term supporters. Our second Growing Musicians fundraiser and outreach event, featuring student groups playing around the Bellevue Botanical Garden, was a great success.
Great thanks are due to the more than 170 volunteers who helped make BYSO successful this year. No concert, audition, or other event can happen without the work of volunteers. Prominent among these are the members of our volunteer Board of Directors, who provide strategic leadership and overview to the entire organization.
Please join me in looking forward to another outstanding season!
Trudi Jackson,
Executive Director
2016-2017 by the numbers
Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra served 574 unique students during the 2016–17 season, though an enriching array of
orchestra programs, instrumental ensembles, and summer day camps.
Our students received a total of 26,857 instruction hours.
