Portland, Sisters youth make music

Members of the Sisters High School Concert Band unpack their instruments and prepare to rehearse for Sunday's joint free concert here with the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Photo by Tom Chace

Justin Thomas and Caitlin Partridge of Sisters do not know Sam Aquino from Portland. Ashley Owen and Patrick Hammons, also from Sisters, do not know Lucas Sokol who lives in Hillsboro.

They, along with about 100 other musicians, will get together Sunday at Sisters High School to meet each other, have a pizza supper and make beautiful music together.

Those from west of the mountains are members of the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP). The local teenagers are part of the Sisters High School Concert Band.

PYP will be in Central Oregon over the weekend, playing at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Bend High School and 3 p.m. at the Sisters High School auditorium.

Last year, PYP had a weekend tour playing on the Oregon Coast.

Justin Thomas, 16 years old, plays tenor saxophone in Sisters' concert band. He is also a member of the award winning local jazz band that took high honors in competition in Reno last fall.

"I love the classical things," he said, "but I really enjoy improvisation on my sax, too."

In his fifth year as a musician, he said, "I like all kinds of music from the classics to hot jazz."

Justin applied to the Air Force Academy for admission after graduation from Sisters High School.

Caitlin Partridge is a sophomore at Sisters High and has played the oboe since fourth grade.

"I have been doing something with music since I was in first grade here, singing in the choirs, playing in the band. I just love music of any kind," she said.

"One of the three pieces we'll be doing Sunday is 'A Fantasy on Yankee Doodle,' by Mark Williams, in which the oboe gets a major part. I like that," she said.

Ashley Owen is the number-two seat in the woodwinds section, playing the clarinet. The 17-year-old junior says, "It's a toss-up between semi-classical music and jazz.

"One of the pieces we're doing Sunday, 'Shenandoah' by Frank Tichelli, is very difficult as it is slower and more demanding. Because of the starts and finishes we must be right-on together or it's noticeable," she said. "That takes lots of work and lots of practice but when we do it right it makes for fun."

Patrick Hammons is a 17-year-old trumpet player with the Sisters band. He has been playing his instrument for eight years.

"I started pretty young," he said, "and I really like it." Again, as with most of the Concert Band group, he also likes jazz and was part of the Senior Jazz Band competition in Reno.

"I hope to join the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) fellowship after graduation," he said. "The group I want to be with is in Colorado where they do more with music than some of the other groups. YWAM runs about half a year and after that I want to go on to college," he said.

Sam Aquino, a junior at Benson Polytechnic High School in Northeast Portland, plays clarinet with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, so he and Ashley Owen will have a common touch. This is the second year in the philharmonic for the 11th grader who started playing the clarinet in seventh grade.

"If I continue to do well in school and keep my grades up," he said, "I hope to go to the University of California at Berkeley."

Aquino spends a lot of time under water as a member of his high school swim team.

"It takes a lot of hard work to be on the swim team and play in the Philharmonic, plus get my homework done," he said. "But, I really like it all."

PYP, established in 1924, is the country's first youth orchestra, according to Ingrid Arnett, PYP publicist.

"We have over 200 students in three orchestras from 100 different schools in and around Portland. They range in age from seven to 22," she said.

The philharmonic will perform the same program at both concerts. Scheduled are Brahms' well known Academic Festival Overture featuring each section of the orchestra; Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony; Mozart's Horn Concerto, No. 2; and Dvorak's Slavonic Dances Nos. 4 and 8, along with two other pieces.

Jody Henderson, band director, said that the Sisters musicians recently qualified for the fifth consecutive time for the high school band championships at the OSAA (Oregon School Activities Association) regional competition in Salem. They now head for the finals at OSU on May 15.

He also directs the Senior Jazz Band, which won second place for West Coast bands in Reno last year.

"It does keep me busy," he said, "but the kids are so great that it's really fun working with them. It's really not work. It's so rewarding. I love 'em all."

The concerts are open to the public without charge.

Sisters Rotary Club will be hosting a pizza party for all musicians at the High School Cafeteria following the afternoon concert.

IF YOU GO: 3 p.m. Sunday at the Sisters High School auditorium, 1/4 mile West from downtown Sisters on the McKenzie Highway (stay left at the "Y").

Ample free parking is available in front of the school. There is no admission charge.