On Nov. 9, the Bay Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) held its season opener concert at the Irvington Presbyterian Church. The season opener was titled “Music For The People,” and like past BPYO concerts, it was open to the public to come and listen for free.
Led by music director Dr. Carlos Hernandez, the concert lasted about one and a half hours with eight music pieces, which ranged from the early 1900s to more modern pieces such as music from the Broadway play (and now musical) Wicked. The orchestra itself is made up of three ensembles: Virtuosi, Bravi and Melodia, along with a chamber flute choir.
The conductorless flute choir opened the concert and played two works autonomously. The Virtuosi, Bravi and Melodia ensembles then all came together to play three distinct works, which included selections from the popular video game Minecraft. Although the three ensembles rehearse independently, they played together in the concert.
“This music is set up to accommodate for different levels of musicianship, so this (like Minecraft), is a choose-your-own-adventure experience: There are hard level, medium and easier parts to choose from,” explained Dr. Carlos Hernandez, “We are encouraging students to challenge themselves while supporting other students that are less mature, musically.”
After the cumulative ensemble played their three pieces, the Virtuosi and Bravi ensembles continued to play as a new ensemble for another two works, one of which was a collection of songs from Wicked.
Closing out the concert, Virtuosi performed the last three works, all of which had varying styles and came from different genres and parts of the world. Besides the well-known classical music generally played in orchestras, BPYO strives to also present other styles of music from different time periods and cultures.
Many guests from all across the Tri-City area attended to hear the student orchestra make music, including local county officials such as current Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, her successor Raj Salwan, Vice Mayor Desrie Campbell and District 3 City Council member Kathy Kimberlin. “Congratulations on your season opener ‘Music for the people.’ That’s exactly what we’re here to talk about: It’s to ensure we make music available for all people,” said Fremont Mayor Lily Mei.
BPYO was founded in 2016 and has continued to share music since. Under the new leadership of Carlos Hernandez, the youth orchestra is performing three concerts throughout the 2024-2025 season. BPYO also participated in the Bay Philharmonic’s Holiday Spectacular Show on Dec. 14 and 15, and their next concert is on Mar. 23, prior to their Southern California Disneyland performance.
Learn more at: bayphil.org
