The Austin Classical Guitar Youth Orchestra, founded in 2013 under the direction of Dr. Joseph Williams, comprises the best young guitarists in the Austin area. They’ve performed before thousands in prestigious venues, premiered several new works, and this March, they embarked on their first-ever tour. The 12 guitarists, guided by Director Joseph Williams and Assistant Director Stephen Krishnan, spent four days in San Francisco performing concerts, exploring the city, and forming new friendships.
To play music together for a few hours a week is a chance to escape the stress of daily life, to engage with like-minded individuals, and to strive for a cohesive musical expression.
But to voyage on a shared adventure thousands of miles from home, performing familiar music for unfamiliar audiences in a different venue each day, is an unforgettable experience of transformation.
The evolution of an ensemble throughout the course of tour is striking.
As the members perform music in different settings for new audiences, familiar phrases and rhythms acquire new meaning and fresh interpretations. The melody of Ellis Island suddenly becomes infused with memories of their first conveyor-belt sushi Friday night. The repeated motif at the beginning of Gale seems different when performed in an impromptu hotel lobby rehearsal. And the intensity of Verano Porteño, when shared with guitarists from far away that they’ve only just met, assumes a new identity when rehearsed for the first time together.
One of the most significant experiences for a young ensemble is learning how to apply skills in new settings or under unusual circumstances. On tour, situations arise that require musicians to rehearse earlier in the morning than expected or in a different location than anticipated. Tour requires a certain flexibility of mind and body, a certain confidence in musical ability and muscle memory, to be able to spring into action even in abnormal circumstances.
The opportunity to play music in new venues holds particular importance for the ensemble members. Notes they’re accustomed to playing in their own practice rooms undergo obvious changes when rehearsed with the entire group, but when performing these same harmonies and rhythms in magnificent spaces such as St. Mark’s Church (right), the music goes through a beautiful metamorphosis. The students realize their musicality can soar into the rafters, it can envelop entire halls with its gorgeous tone; they realize the power and substance of their own creation can affect others.
A crucial element of the musical evolution, though, depends upon individuals coalescing into a unified ensemble. The young musicians, converging in the Youth Orchestra from diverse walks of life, spend every waking moment with each other. Stand-mates and part-sharers become bus-mates and meal-sharers; jokes and serious conversations build connections where before there were none; new shared experiences strengthen bonds; sooner or later, whether by choice or by proximity, these once-unfamiliar musicians become friends.
Aytahn Benavi, a 16-year-old member of ACGYO, shared the following:
“Of course, the little funny stuff will stick in my mind, like Joe throwing the baton during the concert at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Stephen singing at the amphitheater in Golden Gate Park, and Max wearing a kimono to the Alamo. But the most memorable thing about the trip was being able to make good on months of work in the ensemble by making some very good music, and being able to enjoy the company of the group members in a completely different environment than rehearsals.”
“It is rather rare that one gets to share a truly meaningful experience with people who share a passion and have worked towards the same goal.” – Aytahn