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On Sunday November 16, 2014 the New World Youth Orchestras; which consist of the
New World Youth Symphony Orchestra and New World Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
performed five pieces from the late 1700s to the late 1800s (program). The concert included
Overture to La gazza ladra composed by Gioachino Rossini , Romeo and Juliet FantasyOverture composed by Piotr Tchaikovsky, Overture to Zampa composed by Ferdinand Herold,
Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 composed by Feranz Schubert, and Symphony No. 9 in E
Minor, Op. 95 composed by Antonin Dvorak. Susan Kitterman and Adam Bodony conducted.
Escorted by my father I had the chance to experience the full concert, but my favorite part was
the New World Youth Symphony Orchestra.
An orchestra is defined as a large group of musicians playing classical music, consisting
of sections of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion players, and directed by a conductor
(dictionary). Until my recent visit to the Hilbert Circle Theatre to see the New World Youth
Orchestras, I thought an orchestra was a concert comparable to a school band concert, but I was
very wrong. In some aspect, you could compare the two. Both have people playing instruments
and someone conducting them, but that is where the similarities end and the differences begin.
There were two different groups that performed: the New World Youth Symphony Orchestra and
the New World Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. Now, being new to the classical music world, I
did not know what the difference was. The symphony orchestra a large orchestra that includes
wind, string, and percussion instruments and plays symphonies and other works scored for these
instruments (dictionary). The philharmonic orchestra is described as an orchestra, choir, or
society that promotes the study, performance, and appreciation of classical music (dictionary).
The symphony orchestra started the show with an Overture to La gazza ladra and followed with

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a Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture. With a quick switch the philharmonic orchestra played an
Overture to Zampa and followed with Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 by Franz Schubert.
The theatres beauty enhanced the arrangement of the musicians in the traditional ushaped formation. The instruments were grouped nicely in their instrumental families. As with
most orchestras, they had a variety of woodwind consisting of bass, flute, piccolo, oboe, English
horn, clarinet, bassoon horn, trumpet, and trombone, string consisting of violin, viola, cello, harp,
and percussion instruments. The presentation of the concert gave the audience a perfect view of
all the musicians with a well-rounded sound to match.
Overture to La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) is a Romantic style Opera composed
by Gioachino Rossini. One of his lesser known Operas from a four-year period (1813-1817)
(Bishop, p.17). This was a beautiful piece with many ups and downs in volume and tempo. It
was my favorite, it incorporates both comic and serious elements (Bishop, p.17). Most of the
woodwinds and string played together and the percussion had a more predominate sound than the
other pieces. It is performed more often today as a stand-alone orchestral piece than as the
beginning of a staged production of the Opera (Bishop, p.17).
Overture to Zampa is also a Romantic style piece composed by Ferdinand Herold. He
distinguished himself as a master of Frenchopera comique (opera comique includes spoken
dialogue between arias, rather than a completely sung score in the manner of grand Opera)
(Schwartz, p.29). This piece had a fast tempo with solos and different instruments. Towards the
middle of the piece, the tempo slowed and the rhythm became more simplistic. Then the tempo
sped back up until the end.

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I overly enjoyed the concert; I had never been to something like that. With all the
knowledge I have gained from my music course, I went to this concert as an active listener. I had
full intention of being able to know the key changes, dynamic changes, and other musical
structures, but I ended up becoming a passive listener. With this being my first orchestra
performance, I was distracted with the beauty of the music and the theatre. I just listened to the
music without thinking about what was happening in the music.