AYO Music Camp

It has always been my dream to join the Asian Youth Orchestra ever since I entered the music program of the University of the Philippines.  The fact that my senior co-percussion majors before and the percussionist whom I look up to ̶̶ my professor Mr. Elizalde Tolentino, made it to the AYO history served as an inspiration for me to work hard and to do my best in every performance.

I auditioned for a slot in the Asian Youth Orchestra’s 23^rd Rehearsal Camp.   It was tough because they only needed two members for the percussion section.  I was so fortunate that I have been chosen once again to become part of this prestigious orchestra.

When I was on my flight bound for Hong Kong, I was so excited not only to see my old friends from the previous camp, but to meet new ones as well.

Our rehearsal schedule ran from Monday to Saturday, held at the Academy for Performing Arts (APA) in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.  It was three weeks filled with workshops, masterclasses and lectures.

Before the camp commenced, a chair audition was held by Mr. Christopher Williams. Unlike the previous AYO camp where I got to play different percussion instruments, last year’s repertoire comprised only one instrument of the section – the timpani.

 The pieces that were assigned to me were Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 in Mr. Richard Pontzious’ program and Carl Maria Von Weber’s Der Freischütz Overture and Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor (with Mr. Steven Isserlis as soloist) in Maestro James Judd’s program.

Since we had a lot of time for sectionals, we also worked on different percussion orchestral excerpts.  Mr. Williams gave us some points and ideas on playing it. I will always remember his words back then. He told us to set the techniques aside and always think musically while playing these parts alone.

We even had mock auditions during the rehearsal camp.  We were asked to play snare drum excerpts from ”Bolero” and ”Scheherazade” and timpani parts of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 1 and “Star Wars Main Title”.  Our panels were Mr. Richard Pontzious(Artistic Director, Founder and Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra), Maestro James Judd(Principal Conductor), Mr. Richard Hoffman( Teacher of the trumpet section, former Principal Trumpet of Baltimore Symphony), and our trumpet players.  It really felt like I was in an actual audition, leaving me pointers on how to compose myself in the given situation.

The percussion section was handled by Mr. Christopher Williams, the Principal Percussionist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.  I and the other percussionist, Shogo Kasai, from Japan, worked with him for the entire rehearsal camp.

After our rehearsal camp in Hong Kong, the orchestra began the preparations for a performance tour in Vietnam, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan.  We were all excited to start performing at the same time touring the entire of Asia.

Our first performance after the rehearsal camp…. Hanoi Opera House, Vietnam.

Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore

Zhong Shan Cultural and Arts Center, China

We had a tight schedule during our performance tour.  After our concert in each country, we needed to go back to the hotel immediately to pack up our luggage for the early flight next morning.  Most of our travel had connecting flights to and from Hong Kong, which means, that there were days spent just for travelling.  Though considered to be lag time, these are moments that I get to bond with my colleagues. 

National Concert Hall, Taiwan

Rehearsal before the concert in Hong Kong Cultural Center

Kamakura Geijutsukan, Japan

Final performance of the entire tour.. Tokyo Opera City, Japan

It was a “dream come true” for me to be part of the Asian Youth Orchestra.  All of the things that I learned along the way and all of the experiences were irreplaceable.  It truly helped me to grow in becoming a great musician. Most importantly, the values that the AYO taught me will remain as I mature.

I will always be grateful to the percussionists who helped me hone my skills – my professor Mr. Elizalde Tolentino, and to Mr. Christopher Williams, together with the two conductors of the orchestra – Maestro James Judd, and to Mr. Richard Pontzious, for their continued trust and confidence in my talent.

That’s my experience in the Asian Youth Orchestra. . . .

Now preparing for this year’s AYO rehearsal camp. . .