Youthful music invigorates WIU
Dimitri Taylor
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: The Edge
Western Illinois University's COFAC School of Music presented Macomb's Community Youth String Orchestra Concert at COFAC Recital Hall last Saturday night.
The audience enjoyed Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's epic "Flight of the Bumblebee," the always pleasing "Over the Rainbow," originally done by Harold Arlen and Edgar Yip Harburg, and the impressive "Trepak," a selection from Piotr Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.
Although the musicians were all under the age of 15, from start to finish the concert featured brilliant solos by each of the youngsters, who were professional and mature in every manner.
Brittany Chatterton was the soloist in "Flight of the Bumblebee," a piece the 14-year-old had worked to perfect since last spring.
"Since I have been playing piano, guitar and violin from the age of 4, I have just been having fun doing something I love,"she said.
Kerry Shawgo, a respected vocalist and novice guitar player, was co-opted into the program one month prior to the evening's performance. A singer for a number of years now, the most difficult part of the performance for him was confidently delivering the profoundness of a song like "Grace Like Rain" by Todd Agnew with the new instrument.
Shawgo not only delivered, he did so in a big way. As he hit the chorus a second time the audience sang along with the performance.
Second-year professor Dr. Richard Cangro took up the task of developing this string orchestra as an outlet for positive growth not only for his daughter, who is a member of the group, but for youth in the whole of Macomb's community.
He and his staff worked as volunteers with the orchestra devoting time and effort, offering encouragement, organization and direction to deliver to our ears a musical extravagance, marshaling together young but eager talent from all walks of Macomb in one event.
The audience enjoyed Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's epic "Flight of the Bumblebee," the always pleasing "Over the Rainbow," originally done by Harold Arlen and Edgar Yip Harburg, and the impressive "Trepak," a selection from Piotr Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.
Although the musicians were all under the age of 15, from start to finish the concert featured brilliant solos by each of the youngsters, who were professional and mature in every manner.
Brittany Chatterton was the soloist in "Flight of the Bumblebee," a piece the 14-year-old had worked to perfect since last spring.
"Since I have been playing piano, guitar and violin from the age of 4, I have just been having fun doing something I love,"she said.
Kerry Shawgo, a respected vocalist and novice guitar player, was co-opted into the program one month prior to the evening's performance. A singer for a number of years now, the most difficult part of the performance for him was confidently delivering the profoundness of a song like "Grace Like Rain" by Todd Agnew with the new instrument.
Shawgo not only delivered, he did so in a big way. As he hit the chorus a second time the audience sang along with the performance.
Second-year professor Dr. Richard Cangro took up the task of developing this string orchestra as an outlet for positive growth not only for his daughter, who is a member of the group, but for youth in the whole of Macomb's community.
He and his staff worked as volunteers with the orchestra devoting time and effort, offering encouragement, organization and direction to deliver to our ears a musical extravagance, marshaling together young but eager talent from all walks of Macomb in one event.
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