CARMEL VALLEY — Jarvis Chang, a senior at Torrey Pines High School, has a distinguished honor at an upcoming concert.Chang will serve as concertmaster, first seat in the violins, of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory for a joint performance with the San Diego Master Chorale titled, Violins, Voices & More, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at San Dieguito United Methodist Church in Encinitas.
Jeff Edmons serves as music director of the San Diego Youth Symphony. Gary McKercher is music director of the master chorale.
“Jarvis learned to play piano at an early age from his mother, Peijung Chang, who was a music major,” his father, Yunpu Chang, said. “At one point she realized he was a natural. That’s why we invested time and money taking him to Los Angeles for lessons.”
Jarvis Chang was 6 years old when he started lessons.
“I found the violin’s sound very pleasing,” he recalled. “As I improved my playing, it became more enjoyable and rewarding. My favorite composer is Beethoven. Everything he wrote is a pleasure to listen to and play.”
Jarvis Chang competed in SDYS’ Concerto Competition for the last two years winning second place both in 2012 and 2013, with a performance of Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 by Camille Saint-Saëns. He will be playing the “Te Deum” by Franz Joseph Haydn with the master chorale.
“Jarvis has been an outstanding member of our program for six years,” Edmons said. “He holds the position of Jeffrey Dan Sollender Concertmaster Chair for the symphony orchestra, as well as the Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia. He has tremendous talent, character and leadership, which makes him an excellent model for the musicians in our program.
“We are very proud of all the accomplishments that Jarvis brings to our program and he truly represents the best in all ways of students in the San Diego Youth Symphony.”
Edmons explained that the chamber orchestra was designed to allow the top seated players to experience high-quality music in an intimate, orchestral setting unique to a chamber orchestra.
“An important component of the Chamber Orchestra is the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed community music organizations,” he added. “We are very excited that our first concert will be a collaboration with the San Diego Master Chorale.”
The orchestra will perform “Symphony No. 4” by Felix Mendelssohn and the choir will perform Gioacchino Rossini’s “I Gondolieri” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “See the Chariot at Hand” from In Windsor Forest, adapted from the opera “Sir John in Love.” The concert comes to a close with a joint performance of “Te Deum” in C Major by Haydn.
The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory is the sixth oldest continuously operating youth symphony in the United States, and this year serves more than 900 students in 10 ensembles from its home in Balboa Park. Skill levels range from beginner to pre-professional, with participating students ages 8 to 25. In addition to its large ensemble programs, its Community Opus Project provides free after-school music instruction at elementary schools in Chula Vista. SDYS is the 2012 Grand Prize Winner of the BoardSource/Prudential Leadership Awards for Exceptional Nonprofit Boards.
The Chamber Orchestra is an invitation-only ensemble comprised of principal and top seated musicians from the Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia. This orchestra rehearses and performs a variety of repertoire unique to this type of ensemble from multiple historic periods, for both string orchestra and full chamber orchestra.
The San Diego Master Chorale includes 125 of San Diego’s finest singers who perform more than 25 times each year all around San Diego County. The SDMC’s mission is to promote and preserve the art of choral music through performance, education, and diverse community outreach. The SDMC has made a number of concert tours throughout Europe, most recently a tour of France after the 2010-2011 season to celebrate its Golden Anniversary.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. They are available for purchase online at sdys.org or by calling (619) 233-3232, ext. 115.
