Newton members of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) returned from their tour across Mexico this spring with a glow of accomplishment. Their many successful performances across the country included extremely challenging repertoire, from Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 to Stravinsky’s famous Rite of Spring. Along with pride for their high achievements, these students returned with new knowledge of music’s ability to connect and unite.
Isabella Lai, a violinist from the Winsor School, said that one of her favorite parts of the BPYO’s trip to Mexico was forming new friendships with those whom she met on tour. Sharing a stage with talented Mexican student musicians in Puebla and Mexico City, Isabella and many other BPYO members were reluctant to say goodbye to their Mexican stand partners. According to Isabella, this personal connection was present not only between members across the two orchestras but also between the combined ensemble and their audience. Reflecting on the remarkable energy and enthusiasm of their audience, Isabella likens BPYO concerts on tour to “a conversation between friends.”
“Whether we were performing, rehearsing, sitting on long bus rides, or relaxing in our rooms, the joys of friendship and possibility filled every moment,” she recalls.
Hayden Ren is both a cellist in the BPYO and a student at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. She has toured with the BPYO over multiple years but felt that she created many more “deep and meaningful relationships” with her fellow BPYO members on tour this year than in previous years. She emphasized that the environment of concert halls in Puebla and across the country was unique, providing a backdrop for the orchestra’s many stunning performances.
“I think having the opportunity to perform huge, expansive pieces and gaining the opportunity to play alongside really amazing musicians is something you typically wouldn’t get elsewhere,” she notes.
Three other Newton members of the BPYO embarked on this tour: violinist Takahiro Higuchi from Newton North High School as well as violist Olivia Hong and cellist Steven Hu from Newton South High School.
Historic concert in Puebla
It’s a rare and exciting event for two full orchestras to come together in performance, yet the BPYO and Esperanza Azteca youth orchestra did just that. After performances in León, Xalapa, and Mexico City, the BPYO’s second-to-last stop on tour was Puebla, the site of this exceptional combined concert. Many of the BPYO’s members, including Hayden and Isabella, remarked that this performance was one of the high points of their tour.
Led by Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander, conductor of the BPYO, has a history with Puebla that began 17 years ago. Through a visit to the city in 2008 as a speaker at its annual Festival of Ideas, Zander connected with a man who had started an initiative to bring local children out of poverty through music education. Visiting the children participating in this initiative, Zander engaged the young musicians and energized their playing with his conducting. He also connected with Richard Salinas, a public figure in Mexican TV and media, who filmed Zander’s experience with the children and used this documentary to start a foundation to benefit promising young musicians in Puebla and across the country.
The BPYO’s concert in Puebla this year began with a showing of this same documentary. This year’s Mexico tour marks Zander’s 13th tour with the BPYO and brings his story full circle. Zander remembers the BPYO’s performance alongside Esperanza Azteca as “overwhelmingly exciting” and “life changing,” emphasizing not only the high level of musicianship demonstrated on stage but also the formation of “deep friendships…which will last many years.”
Zander describes the BPYO’s mission succinctly, saying that “the ambition is high, the vision is strong, and the achievement is really amazing. Most of all, it creates incredible joy, warmth, enthusiasm, and wild applause.”
Chloe Carrano is a Fig City News summer intern and a rising sophomore at Newton South High School.
