Dec. 21, 2007

Leo Kucinski Academy of Music to hold Youth Orchestra auditions

The Leo Kucinski Academy of Music will hold Youth Orchestra auditions beginning at 4 p.m. Jan. 4 in Room 100 of the MacCollin Classroom Building, 3625 Garretson Ave.

Musicians will be auditioning for placement in Siouxland Symphonette, Siouxland Philharmonia or Siouxland Youth Symphony. Those interested in scheduling a 10-minute audition slot may contact Jill Wilson, director of the Leo Kucinski Academy of Music, at 712-274-5357 or wilsonj@morningside.edu.

Siouxland Symphonette is a string-only ensemble designed for students just beginning their careers as orchestral players. It teaches students to read music and play with solid rhythm. The ensemble is conducted by Tom Miller, who is director of orchestras and a women’s show choir for the Sioux City public schools and principal bass for the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

Siouxland Philharmonia is a full orchestra where students develop fluency in reading music, play in the first three positions, use more complex rhythms and key signatures and advance their musicianship. It is conducted by Jungho Kim, who is associate conductor and education director for the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

Siouxland Youth Symphony plays standard orchestral repertoire. Its members learn about professional standards of playing and orchestra protocol. Members are generally advanced high school and college musicians. In addition to two concerts each year, this ensemble may be asked to go on tour to perform. The orchestra is conducted by Joseph Shufro, who is an associate professor of music at Morningside College and principal cellist for the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

All of the ensembles practice on Monday evenings in the MacCollin Classroom Building. They present two concerts each year at Morningside College in Eppley Auditorium.

The Leo Kucinski Academy of Music, which opened in the fall of 2004, serves student musicians from the age of 4 through college. In addition to managing the Siouxland Youth Orchestras, the academy provides private instruction, monthly workshops, performance classes, early string group classes and the Bishop Heelan Catholic School String Program.

The academy is made possible in part by a partnership between Morningside College and the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra. Need-based scholarships for students are available through funding from the Kind World Foundation, Unnamed Foundation of Security National Bank and Target Corporation.