Spring Concert
Sunday, May 20, 2018, 4pm at the Washington Center, Olympia
CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA – John Welsh, Music Director & Conductor
Mozart, Concerto for Flute and Harp
Kate Hales, flute & Ben Albertson, harp
Puccini, selections from Tosca
Featuring Northwest artists Jon Farmer, Karen Evans, and Kwangsuk Ku
BRASS CHOIR – Greg Allison, conductor
A Whole New World, Alan Menken, arr. Thome
Shepherd’s Hey, Percy Grainger, arr. Allen
ACADEMY ORCHESTRA – Jeff Lund, conductor
Mars from The Planets, Gustav Holst, arr. McAlister
Millennium, Richard Meyer
DEBUT ORCHESTRA – Jennifer Marin & Travis Sipher, conductors
España Cani, Traditional, arr. Isaac
Themes from Scheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Meyer
Great Locomotive Chase, Robert W. Smith
JOIN SOGO!
2018-2019 Placement Auditions
Schedule your appointment TODAY!
Experience weekly rehearsals with professional conductors and teaching artists and performances on the Washington Center stage. This and much more, including music theory and history add to a challenging opportunity afforded to young musicians in the South Sound area.
Call SOGO’s office at 360-352-1438 for a placement audition time. There is a $35 non-refundable fee charged for the audition.
Tuition: $450 – Debut Orchestra, $475 – Academy Orchestra, and $550 – Conservatory Orchestra for a full season. Musicians placed after the first concert pay 70% and after the second concert 40% of the full tuition fee.
For information about the placement audition process, go to our Join SOGO page.
SOGO Summer Music June 25 – July 6
Musicians with one-year playing experience – 9th grade, except Beginning Band – no experience required. Get ready to play, compose, swing, and explore musical styles from around the globe at the 2018 SOGO Summer Music at Washington M.S. June 25-July 6. There are 13 class offerings, including Fiddling, Steel Drumming, Swap Band, World Drumming, Jazz Band, and traditional orchestra and band classes. Students have an option to even take a free noon Choir when signing-up. Check out our catalog and register.
New Music Director and Conductor Announced
“As a northwest native, I am beyond delight to be returning ‘home’ to join the SOGO team and find my place in Olympia’s musical community. My top priority as Music Director is an always-fulfilling musical experience, and I am eager to discover how we can all work together most effectively to achieve that.” ~ Cameron May
Cameron May
Music Director & Conductor beginning 2018-2019 season
Cameron May joins SOGO as Music Director and Conductor of the Conservatory Orchestra beginning with the 2018-19 season. Though a native of Portland, Oregon, Cameron comes to Olympia from Champaign, Illinois, where he is finishing a graduate degree in orchestral conducting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the tutelage of Donald Schleicher. At Illinois, Cameron is Music Director of the Illini Strings and a graduate teaching assistant in the orchestral conducting department. A strong advocate of collaboration in the musical arts, Cameron led the University of Illinois Philharmonia in a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto, Op. 15, with internationally-renowned Beethoven scholar and performer William Kinderman in February, 2018. In April, he will bring together the Illini Strings, Illini Women and University Chorus, as well as combining the Illini Strings and Philharmonia for a large-scale performance of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Cameron has conducted performances or premieres of works by several contemporary composers, including Morgan Denney, Carolyn Quick, Steffen Schmidt, and Stephen Andrew Taylor. (more…)
Music Director Retires In May 2018
After 18 years with the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia, Maestro John Welsh will be retiring the baton. Welsh has been with the organization since the beginning. Hailing from the East Coast, Welsh brought a wealth of experience, leadership, and direction to the members of SOGO. (more…)
CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA
REHEARSAL: 5pm – 7:15pm
Advanced musicians (high school – college)
Mr. Welsh, Conductor
BRASS CHOIR
REHEARSAL: 4:30 – 5:15pm
Mr. Allison, Conductor
ACADEMY ORCHESTRA
REHEARSAL: 3pm – 4:45pm
Intermediate (middle school – early high school)
Mr. Lund, conductor
BRASS CHOIR
REHEARSAL: 4:30 – 5:15pm
Mr. Allison, Conductor
