Premiere Orchestra

  • Scroll down for Winter Concert information!
  • Winter Quarter music links were emailed to all enrolled students by January 2, 2026. Email admin@byso.org with any questions.
  • Click here for Conductor’s Messages

Rehearsals will be held on Monday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Musicians are expected to arrive and be prepared to rehearse 15 minutes prior to start time.

WINTER QUARTER 2025 DETAILS

Rehearsals Winter Quarter Dates
Mondays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm 1/5, 1/12, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9
There is no rehearsal on 1/19 for MLK Day
or on 2/16 for Presidents’ Day.
Rehearsal Location Drop Off/ Pick Up
Overlake Christian Church Plan on prompt drop off and pick up to avoid
9900 Willows Rd NE congestion.
Redmond, WA 98052
Retreat Location Time & Date
Odle Middle School Saturday, January 24
502 143rd Ave NE 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Bellevue, WA 98007
Concert Time & Date
Meydenbauer Center Theatre Sunday, March 15 @ 3:00 pm
11100 NE 6th St Call time is 1:25 PM. Scroll down
Bellevue, WA 98004 for more information.

Student Checklist

  • Bring a music stand
  • Bring a pencil
  • Print your sheet music prior to first rehearsal (using link at top of this page) and bring with you to rehearsal
  • Arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of rehearsal to ensure you are in your chair and ready to play at the start of rehearsal
  • Have fun!

ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR LAST REHEARSAL BEFORE THE CONCERT

Students absent from rehearsal on the last Monday rehearsal before the concert are required to send Mr. Drassal a link to an unlisted YouTube video demonstrating their performance of their part. Mr. Drassal will email them measure numbers and tempo markings. This video is due no later than Thursday at 3pm. Students will receive the results of this music test by end of day Thursday.

For more details about the absence policy, please see the BYSO Student Handbook.

CONCERT DETAILS | Sunday, March 15 @ 3:00 pm

CALL TIME | 1:25 pm
All musicians should arrive promptly 1:25 pm.

DROP OFF
Musicians can be dropped off via the parking garage or lobby at Meydenbauer. There is no parking garage fee for the first 30 minutes.

PARKING
Parking is available in the garage beneath Meydenbauer. Please see their website for rates. Parking cannot be reserved ahead of time.

CONCERT ATTIRE
Be sure to check your ensemble’s concert attire requirements. Students must arrive wearing their concert clothing. They will not have a place to change later.

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOU!
Volunteers will be a vital part of a successful day at Meydenbauer for all of our students. We need volunteers to help the check in process and supporting ensembles during their dress rehearsals. Volunteers have early access to reserve their seats in the hall. Click here to sign up!

CONCERT TICKETS
Families of enrolled BYSO students get priority access to concert tickets at Meydenbauer and can purchase tickets via the link sent in the weekly newsletter, starting Thursday, February 12 at 4:00 pm. On February 26, any remaining tickets will be open to the general public.

STAY THE WHOLE CONCERT
Performing students are expected to stay from their call time to the end of the concert. Listening to other musicians perform is an important part of each student’s music education, and it’s also important to support fellow BYSO musicians in this way.  Students who must leave early due to unavoidable schedule conflicts must get permission from their conductor and the BYSO office prior to the concert.

SPRING QUARTER 2026

Rehearsals:
Spring Quarter rehearsal dates are Mondays 3/23, 3/30, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, and 5/11. Note that there is no rehearsal on 4/6 for Spring Break. Rehearsal time and location is the same as for Winter Quarter.

Concert:
Sunday, May 17 @ 3:00 pm at Bastyr University Chapel

Full Spring Quarter details will be posted above at the beginning of March.

About

Premiere Orchestra is an intermediate orchestra in the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra organization. The typical Premiere Orchestra student has had some private instruction and school ensemble experience and is working to improve technical proficiency.

Premiere Orchestra introduces young musicians to full orchestral instrumentation (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion) with repertoire that appropriately challenges their experience level. Past works performed include Brahms’s Hungarian Dances 5 & 6, Vaughan Williams’s Rhosymedre, and Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 7 in D minor.

Recent Premiere Orchestra Performance

Conductor: David Drassal

David Drassal is a Tri-Cities area native, where he attended Southridge High School, playing trumpet in the bands and violin in the orchestra. He began Suzuki violin lessons at age 7 with Melvina Romanelli in Richland, WA and went on to receive a B.M. and M.A. in Music Education from Central Washington University. Mr. Drassal started with BYSO in 2007 as a violin coach for Premiere and has been the director for the Premiere Orchestra since 2013. Mr. Drassal also teaches orchestra at Tyee Middle School in Bellevue. Learn more.

Contact David Drassal at premiere@byso.org

Messages from the Conductor

February 23 Update- 3 Rehearsals to go:

Monday, February 23- Strings and winds separate for the first hour, then combined

Monday, March 2- Percussion rehearsal second hour

Monday, March 9- Final rehearsal run-through

Sunday, March 15- Concert at 3:00 (call time will be earlier)

 

PROGRAM FOR WINTER 2026

  • Hopak from The Fair at Sorochinsk by Modest Mussorgsky- 1904
    • Mussorgsky wrote this unfinished opera based on a comedic Ukranian story about Ukranian peasants who trick a young couple into getting married and then dance this hopak in celebration. The hopak is an energetic, up-beat folk dance that features dancers leaping while squatting and kicking their legs out.
    • Reference recording- Mussorgsky: Sorochintsy Fair: Gopak
  • Sleeper’s Wake- Johann Sebastian Bach
    • Sleeper’s Wake is from Bach’s church cantata BWV 140. Originally written for choir, this arrangement that we are playing has been orchestrated to keep the same character and spirit that Bach intended.
    • Reference recording- from publisher- Sleeper’s Wake- Brubaker
  • Tragic Overture- Johannes Brahms- Arranged by Vernon Leidig- 1880
    • Brahms composed two concert overtures during the summer of 1880. He later told his biographer, Max Kalbeck, that one overture weeps and one laughs. The light-hearted one is the Academic Festive Overture. The one that weeps is this one, the Tragic Overture. It was not written with any specific tragedy in mind. It was more the commentary on the spirit of tragedy in human life. This is a fantastic arrangement of the piece and I think you will really enjoy playing it.
    • Reference recording- Professional orchestra performing the entire overture. Our arrangement is shorter- Tragic Overture- Karajan

Tempo Markings

Mussorgsky- quarter note = 120

Bach- quarter note = 100

Brahms- Quarter note = 108

Seating Auditions- At Retreat on Saturday, January 24

We will hold seating auditions during the first half of our retreat. Please plan to attend so that our coaches can hear you play. This is the only scheduled time that they are able to listen to you perform individually. If you are unable to attend the retreat, we will place you at the end of your section for this concert.

Please prepare these sections of your music and pay careful attention to the tempo, bowing directions, style, articulations, and dynamics. Your coach will listen for all of these elements during your audition. You should prepare all assigned spots and be ready to play any of them for your audition. You will be asked to play one or two of the spots for each piece and everyone in your section will perform the same spots. If you have any questions about this, ask your coach or send me an email. Thank you!

  • FLUTE
    • Mussorgsky- 4-6, 10-end
    • Bach- 44-59, 65-86
    • Brahms- 11-21, 43-52
  • OBOE
    • Mussorgsky- 4-6, 10-end
    • Bach- 8-17, 44-59
    • Brahms- 11-21, 51-65
  • CLARINET
    • Mussorgsky- 4-6, 10-end
    • Bach- Beginning-9, 43-58
    • Brahms- 11-21, 44-52
  • BASSOON and BASS CLARINET
    • Mussorgsky- 6-8, 10-end
    • Bach- 8-17, 44-59
    • Brahms- 10-28, 42-60
  • TRUMPET
    • Mussorgsky- 3-6, 10-end
    • Bach- 49-60
    • Brahms- 9-21, 84-end
  • HORN
    • Mussorgsky- 7-8, 10-end
    • Bach- 49-62, 100-end
    • Brahms- 9-21, 84-end
  • TROMBONE 
    • Mussorgsky- 10-end
    • Bach- 28-42
    • Brahms- 6-21, 84-end
  • EUPHONIUM
    • Mussorgsky- 12-end
    • Bach- 24-42
    • Brahms- 18-28, 84-end
  • VIOLIN 1
    • Mussorgsky- Beginning-2, 3-4, 8-11
    • Bach- Beginning-24, 65-84
    • Brahms- 2-13, 16-33, 87-end
  • VIOLIN 2
    • Mussorgsky- Beginning-2, 2-4, 9-11
    • Bach- Beginning-24, 65-84
    • Brahms- 2-13, 16-33, 87-end
  • VIOLA
    • Mussorgsky- Beginning-2, 2-4, 9-11
    • Bach- Beginning-25, 49-62
    • Brahms- 2-21, 21-33, 87-end
  • CELLO and BASS
    • Mussorgsky- Beginning-4, 2 before 9-end
    • Bach- 12-26, 66-86
    • Brahms- 2-21, 23-33, 87-end

 

David Drassal- Conductor

Hannah Ogden- Assistant Conductor

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