Sinfonia

Conductor: Barney Blough

Barney Blough holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and a Master of Music Education degree from Central Washington University, a Teaching Certificate from Seattle Pacific University, and a Professional Certificate from Pacific Lutheran University. He has served as Music Director of the Seattle Chamber Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Rainier Symphony, and Assistant Conductor of the Lake Union Civic Orchestra. Learn more.

Contact Barney Blough at sinfonia@byso.org

Messages from the Conductor

Spring Quarter 2026 Information for BYSO Sinfonia

I am looking forward to seeing you at our first rehearsal of spring quarter on Monday, March 23 at Overlake Christian Church! There will not be Seating Auditions this quarter as we don’t have a retreat in the spring.   

Be sure to practice your individual part with careful attention to detail (including articulations) and to the musical aspects of the piece (dynamics, phrasing, etc.). You will need to write to write in the measure numbers if you don’t already have them. Listening to professional recordings linked below will also help you for the prepare tempo and style we are aiming for. It would be a good idea to write the following tempo markings in your part and practice each spot with a metronome at the correct tempo.

Overture to Leonore No. 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven’s Leonore No. 3 is one of the most dramatic and inspiring overtures ever written, telling the story of courage, hope, and rescue without using a single word. The music begins in darkness, with quiet, searching lines that hint at the opera’s themes of imprisonment and longing. As the overture unfolds, Beethoven builds enormous tension through bold brass calls, racing string passages, and sudden shifts from shadow to light. One of the most thrilling moments is the offstage trumpet signal—a musical “ray of hope” announcing that help is on the way. By the time the final, triumphant Presto arrives, the orchestra bursts into celebration, capturing the joy of freedom and the power of bravery. It’s a piece that shows how Beethoven could turn a whole story into pure musical electricity.

Adagio (m. 1): eighth note = 72
Allegro (m. 37): half note = 132
Trumpet Fanfare (m. 272 and 294): freely
Tempo I (m. 278 and 300): half note = 120
Allegro (m. 330): tempo picks up again to half note = 132
Presto (m. 514): half note = 154

Millenium by Richard Meyer

Winner of the 1998 N.S.O.A. composition contest, this contemporary-sounding overture is extremely powerful and full of emotion from beginning to end. After a foreboding introduction, the heroic main theme is introduced by the brass section in unison, accompanied by the entire orchestra in a percussive, marcato style. A lyrical subordinate theme of extreme beauty follows, first stated by unison cellos, then picked up by the entire orchestra. The third and final section is a wild and energetic march, pitting brass against woodwinds and strings, leading into a final, majestic restatement of te main theme. Richard Meyer’s colorful and imaginative scoring features every section of the symphony orchestra, resulting in a wonderfully mature sounding “tour de force.”

Grave (m. 1): quarter = 66
Alla marcia (m. 12): quarter = 104
Meno mosso (m. 73): quarter = 92
Andante tranquillo (m. 79): quarter = 84
Alla marcia (m. 143): quarter = 120
Maestoso (m. 161): quarter = 88
Molto maestoso (m. 169): quarter = 72

Sinfonia Part Assignments for Spring Quarter are the same as Winter Quarter and are listed below. Everyone will prepare the part that is assigned to them, and students only need to print the part they are assigned. 

Sinfonia Part Assignments

If you are wondering where you should be sitting, you can find the seating chart below. This seating chart has been updated after seating auditions.

Sinfonia Winter Quarter Seating Chart

See you at retreat!

Barney Blough
Conductor of Sinfonia