WASATCH MOUNTAIN CAMERATA

Paul Watson, Conductor

Upcoming Events (All concerts are free)

Purpose

Those of us associated with YACP and the sister orchestras(Youth Chamber Orchestra, Youth String Ensemble, and Wasatch Mountain Camerata) want to promote the young people who participate and help them have an outstanding musical experience. The following policies are intended to help us meet that goal.

Qualifying for WMC

Membership in WMC is by invitation only, based on auditions. In order to maintain our musical standards, we require that all students who participate in the orchestra also take private music lessons. This orchestra is intended for those who are serious about developing their musical talents.

Audition Information

Auditions are conducted by assigned times. To register for auditions, follow this link. A specific audition time is emailed 2 weeks before the audition day. Placement letters and rehearsal schedules will be sent prior to our first rehearsal. Rehearsals are held each Monday afternoon from September through November, and from January through April.

These auditions are for new members of the orchestras, and for those who wish to move up to a new orchestra. Musicians wishing to remain in the same orchestra they were in last year need not audition, but should attend the first rehearsal.

Those students auditioning should be prepared to sight read, play a three-octave scale, and play 2 minutes of your best piece. Download a copy of the audition requirements here (Word document).

Students auditioning for Wasatch Mountain Camerata should be playing at the level of late Book VII and Book VIII or above for violin, and Book VI and above for viola and cello in the Suzuki method. Some musicians have already been placed in this orchestra, because they were selected during the YACP auditions in the spring.

Tuition

The orchestra meets during most of the nine months of the school year. We divide the year into two semesters. The first one begins in the middle of September and ends before Thanksgiving. The second semester begins in January and ends around the first of May.

Tuition for the year is $170.00. This includes a nonrefundable music deposit. Music is returned at the end of the spring semester. Tuition for the year is due no later than October 11--full payment for the entire year must be paid in the fall. Any tuition that has not been paid by this date is assessed a $10.00 late fee. Students who have siblings in YACP or in any of the younger YACP orchestras can obtain a small discount on their tuition. For families with 2 students in the orchestras, a $10 discount is given off one student's tuition. For three or more, tuition is discounted $10 each.

The orchestra tries to keep expenses to a minimum and many people volunteer a great deal of their time. However, we do have rent to pay, music to buy, and other operating expenses. Students who fail to pay tuition in a timely manner will not be allowed to continue with the orchestra.

Attendance

The orchestra rehearses every Monday (except national and some school holidays) from 4:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Students are expected to be punctual and regular in their attendance.

We provide some special events for WMC in order to enrich the friendships and experience the members have. These will be announced at rehearsals in time for members to plan ahead to come.

We know that these musicians are very talented young people and often have a wide variety of interests. We respect the rights of students to choose how they will spend their time. However, to make this a quality orchestra, members must attend rehearsals and be on time. Students that have obligations that conflict with WMC should withdraw from the orchestra and reapply when their schedule allows them to participate fully. Whenever a musician misses more than three rehearsals or is tardy more than three times during a semester, his or her membership will be reviewed.

We suggest that students inform their music teachers at school that they are participating in WMC and that the rehearsals are on Monday nights. We have found from past experience that most teachers are supportive of this commitment and try to schedule around it when they know about it.

Uniforms

We want those in WMC to look as good as they sound. Therefore, we require that every member of the orchestra have appropriate concert attire. All orchestra members should have their uniforms by October 31st. For young men, concert dress consists of a black pants, a long sleeved white dress shirt and black bow tie, with black dress shoes and black socks. The young women will dress in a dress or skirt and blouse chosen by the uniform committee. There will be a modest fee for these uniforms. The committee is committed to keep costs down and still provide a professional concert look.

In addition to having their uniforms, we request that all YACP members refrain from chewing gum during rehearsals and especially performances.