Youth Music of the World

Hello, and a warm welcome to "Youth Music of the World."

In this series, we're showcasing the talents of young American musicians performing in iconic venues in Europe.

These students have not only had the exciting experience of performing in some historic buildings in front of international audiences, but they've also enjoyed educational and cultural benefits of overseas travel.

Some of them for the very first time.

In this program, we're featuring performances at Smith Square Hall in the City of Westminster, in the heart of London, very close to Big Ben, a landmark that you're bound to be familiar with.

First, let's hear the Riverside High School Concert Band from Leesburg, Virginia, directed by William Bramwell Smith IV.

This is the the "Presidential Processional," composed by his grandfather.

[ Applause ] [ Applause ] So, my name is William Bramwell Smith IV.

I go by Bram.

I am the band director and fine arts chair at Riverside High School.

I've been the director since its opening ten years ago.

So far, we have been able to get a tour around town, getting to see the Buckingham Palace and different historical sites.

We're really looking forward to seeing the other historical sites.

William Bramwell Smith IV.

And let's hear from them again.

This is "Redemption" by Rossano Galante.

[ Applause ] I'm from Riverside Band, and my name is Sadie Ines, and I play percussion.

Our group is a really committed group that's really tight-knit.

We're all really good friends and we all really enjoy it.

So doing this was like something that we were really excited for.

Hi, I'm Katerina Wallerdy.

I'm a senior from Riverside High School, and yeah, I'm one of the drum majors for the band.

We've gotten a lot closer.

With any trip like this, just being able to -- even just traveling across the world is such a bonding experience, and practicing for this concert has really strengthened our musical ability.

"Redemption" was certainly one of their favorite pieces to play.

Next, let's hear from the Normal Community High School Wind Ensemble from Illinois.

Here they are with "American Fanfare, Part 2" by James Stephenson.

It's conducted by Paul Carter.

[ Rhythmic clapping ] [ Applause ] My name is Paul Carter.

I'm the band director at Normal Community High School.

So it's actually a really exciting opportunity because it's a combination of two different high schools.

So we get together in the evenings after school hours are done, and the students from both high schools work together to collaborate to work towards these musical goals.

What's the benefits for the students?

They get to create relationships across the town and meet students that they may not be able to meet during their normal school time, and they get to learn from each other and learn from a diverse group of other individuals and all of those things.

And they get to make music with lots of different people.

My favorite piece is probably the first one I did.

It's called "American Fanfare" by a local composer in Illinois, so it was a lot of fun to get to work on that piece and showcase some of our talent from back home.

Paul Carter.

Here they are again, this time under the direction of Ryan Budzinski.

This is "Exhilaration and Cry from Southern Harmony, The Grace in Being & Shimmering Sunshine" composed by Donald Grantham.

[ Cheers and applause ] My name is Katie Heger.

I go to Normal Community High School, one of the two schools in the combined band that we have here, and I'm currently a junior.

Honestly, I think it would be be this concert.

It's such a privilege to be able to perform such wonderful music in this great venue, and I think I'll definitely remember it.

This is nothing like the concert venues that we have back in our city, so it's such a privilege to have such great acoustics and great scenery and be able to perform in a place as beautiful as this one.

I like the slow piece "Grace of Being."

The fun -- The fast and fun pieces, they're really great to play.

It's wonderful to watch them come together.

But with the slow pieces, you really get to feel the music and watch the magic kind of happen as you play.

My name is Ryan Budzinski.

I'm the director of bands at Normal West High School and co-director of the Normal Wind Ensemble that performed tonight.

Certainly, making great music is the cornerstone of what we do, though also growing great people is an important part of that.

And I think exposure to world cultures and world destinations is a really valuable experience for them and their growth as human beings and their perspectives of the world around them.

The repertoire was really a joy for us to select as a team, because we were looking to showcase a variety of American musical styles and a variety of perspectives by American composers.

So, as we were looking at the selections, I think one of the neat things that we were really focused on is a diversity in the musical programming, but also in the musical experience, the stories that the composers had to tell and making sure that we were putting together a variety of stories.

Next, let's enjoy the music of Lovejoy High School Orchestra.

They're from Lucas in Texas and under the direction of Sarah Poe.

This is "Sparks" by Chris Bernotas.

[ Applause ] My name is Gavin Blenkinship.

I am with Lovejoy High School Orchestra and I'm from Lucas, Texas.

My favorite piece was "Sparks."

It's just so energetic and empowering.

I feel like, compared to the others, it just brings an energy and finishes it off really strong.

And it really -- it just left the crowd more energetic and more impressed by our program.

Our final piece comes from Studio Big Band from Winchester, Virginia.

They're under the direction of Matt Niess, and the piece we're going to hear is the Henry Mancini classic "Moon River."

[ Applause ] [ Applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] The Shenandoah Conservatory Studio Big Band from Winchester, Virginia.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed the superb musicianship of these great American students as much as they've enjoyed performing in these wonderful European venues.

Thanks to Riverside High School in Leesburg, Virginia, the Normal Wind Ensemble from Normal, Illinois, Lovejoy High School Orchestra from Lucas in Texas, and the Shenandoah University Big Band from Winchester, Virginia.

Do join us again soon for But for now, from me, Bob Bone, thanks very much for watching.