NBYO Wins 1st place, With Distinction, at International Competition
The international panel of judges was animated throughout the performances. At the end, they stood and applauded. And in an unusual act we had not seen in the earlier performances, one of the judges walked to the front of the auditorium, spread his arms wide and congratulated the NBYO for a wonderful performance.
Today the NBYO completed the competition portion of the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival… performing in Vienna… in one of the greatest concert halls in the world, the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. The magnitude of that opportunity would be enough on its own. But there’s more.
They won! 1st Place, ‘With Distinction’ – the only Canadian orchestra ever to do so. Building on a storied past – a Carnegie Hall performance in 2003, Auditorium Paganini in Parma, Italy in 2005, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China in 2007 – this is perhaps NBYO’s greatest achievement yet.
Their performance was exciting, powerful and uplifting. Our young musicians and their conductor, Maestro Antonio Delgado, achieved everything they expected of themselves in the performance, the culmination of a year of hard work and preparation. We were inspired and proud.
For those at home, thank you for volunteering, contributing, billeting, making meals, lugging instruments, attending concerts. None of the achievements of this past year would have been possible without you. NBYO is your orchestra. And NBYO is a wonderful ambassador for New Brunswick and Canada, displaying the talent, dedication and heart of our NB youth as well as the world-class opportunities available in our home province.
To close, if you wondered what all this meant to the musicians of the NBYO, here is a sample of thoughts I collected fro them following their performances.
“It was the best day of my life.”
“The Hall is so alive, you could almost see the music.”
“Amazing. I never felt so proud to be in this orchestra, in anything. I love this orchestra so much.”
“I was so excited I thought I’d have a heart attack.”
“Feels good. Satisfying.”
“I’ve decided now. Music and performance is what I want to do.”
“Looking back in the season, where we’ve come from, really amazing.”
“Wow. We played on the same stage as music masters of the world.”
Submitted by Ken MacLeod, President NBYO