Thursday, September 29
  • Updated Reminder for Showcase families
  • Showcase & Ovation Concerto Competitions Closing Monday
  • Photo Day Pictures
  • Attendance
  • Fall Guest Musician Volunteers
Needed for ChIMES!
  • General Information, Other Events, Opportunities and More!
Updated Reminder for Showcase families

Thank you to all the families and students at the Showcase level for making the transition from Balboa Part to Wilson MS this year as smooth as possible. We have a couple of reminders and updates for you before next weekend's rehearsals.

  • No student drop-off for the foreseeable future. As construction is taking place will in the school fire lane, we ask all families to use the main parking structure to drop off and park for rehearsal. we will let you know as soon as this option becomes available again.

  • Concert Orchestra will now be rehearsing upstairs in the Multi-Purpose Room from 9:00am - 11:00am. There will no longer be class in the Music Room downstairs. If you have questions about this on Saturday please find one of our Production Assistants (blue shirts) who can help direct you to the new location.

  • Unlike previous years, SDYS will no longer be providing purchasable snacks during break time to the students. Please bring any refreshments that you might need with you to rehearsal. Water fountains and refillable water bottle stations can be found on campus.

  • As we are guests at Wilson MS, we ask that all family members choosing to stay on campus not leave the designated waiting areas. We received complaints that parents wandered from these areas last weekend and want to reinforce the importance of following this rule. We are very fortunate to be able to rehearse in such a beautiful facility and hope that everyone else also recognizes this opportunity.

  • All students, please be aware that sectionals will be starting this weekend. If you are in a designated section with specific instructions please look over the specialized schedule you have been given. The first rehearsals for the day will start at 9:45am and go through 2:30pm. Please reach out if you have any questions about this.
Showcase and Ovation
Concerto Competitions
Closing this Monday, October 3rd

SDYS offers two separate yearly Concerto Competitions to further its individual members' opportunities at the highest level. One competition is for Showcase musicians and the other is for Ovation musicians.

Winners perform their solos accompanied by a large ensemble.

This year, candidates for the Ovation competition must select a movement from a multi-movement concerto. Complete concertos will not be performed for the 2022-2023 season. Candidates for the Showcase competition must select a movement from the approved list of concertos.

The competitions take place in two rounds. The preliminary round is for all candidates, however, a limited number of candidates will advance to a public performance final round.

Please review the competition details, application deadline, and full requirements on the SDYS website prior to registering. There is a $40 application fee.

Showcase Competition
Preliminary Round: Sunday, October 30, 2022- St. Paul’s Cathedral;
2728 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 Approx. 2:30-7:30pm
Please note, preliminary rounds are NOT open to the public.

Final Round: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 - San Diego Central Public Library,
Neil Morgan Auditorium, 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101 6pm 
Free event – public welcome!

Ovation Competition
Preliminary Round:  Sunday, October 23, 2022- St. Paul’s Cathedral; 2728 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103 Approx. 2:30-7:30pm
Please note, preliminary rounds are NOT open to the public.

Final Round: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 - San Diego Central Public Library,
Neil Morgan Auditorium, 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101 6pm 
Free event – public welcome!

*Application Deadline: October 3 at 5pm
Photo Day Pictures

On behalf of everyone at SDYS, thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this photo day. It has been a while and you made it possible!

Families looking to purchase ensemble photos can do so directly from Ken's website, here.

Attendance

Please be aware of the new attendance system being implemented for this upcoming season. Students will now self check-in with a tablet kiosk before every rehearsal using the QR codes found on their issued ensemble folders and instrument tags. Students will be marked absent if they don't scan themselves in with their QR code.

Consistent weekly attendance at rehearsals is not only a requirement for SDYS musicians, but it is essential to creating strong musical ensembles. However, if a student needs to request one of their three allotted semester absences, please do so here at least one week in advance.

Students will be granted one late arrival or early departure in a semester. Arrivals after 30 minutes will constitute an automatic absence for that rehearsal.
Fall Guest Musician Volunteers Needed for ChIMES!
Get a FREE snack voucher to redeem at an SDYS rehearsal
 
SDYS' ChIMES program introduces the foundations of music to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers through singing, movement and rhythm activities. One of their favorite parts of class is learning about different instruments from SDYS students like you! 

As a ChIMES Guest Musician volunteer, you will come visit a ChIMES class to demonstrate your instrument (by playing a very short piece of music of your choosing, and a children's song like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). Students of all ages and from all SDYS ensembles are welcome! Learn more about becoming a ChIMES Guest Musician here.
 
We have volunteer slots available Wed - Sat mornings in Sept, Oct, and Nov (Balboa Park and Liberty Station locations). Please complete the Guest Musician Interest Form if you are interested, and a staff member will get back to you.
 
This is a fun experience that also counts for community service or volunteer hours, PLUS you will receive a voucher for a FREE snack at an SDYS rehearsal! Thank you!
SDYS is Hiring

We have several positions open as we plan to return to in-person activities. If you would like to learn more, please visit www.sdys.org/jobs to read the job descriptions.

  • Strings Teaching Artist
  • Production Assistant

*The Early Childhood team is also looking for extra admin help at Saturday morning ChIMES classes in Liberty Station, from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Please email chimes@sdys.org if you are interested.
Kudos!
Share your exciting news about substantial musical achievements. We'll post them in the weekly update to inspire others!

Please submit your recent music-related accomplishments by email to
Tristan Akers, Program Assistant, at takers@sdys.org.
General Information, Other Events, and Opportunities

The events listed below are for information only. They are not sponsored or evaluated by, and do not have a connection with SDYS.
Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles

Applications for Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles are now open! Next summer, talented musicians ages 14–19 from across the country will come together to form three remarkable ensembles: the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), NYO2, and NYO Jazz.

Join these free programs for the opportunity to train with an all-star faculty of renowned musicians, perform on the famed Carnegie Hall stage, and travel to some of the greatest concert halls around the world.
Sincerely,
The SDYS Team
Financial Support Provided by the City of San Diego.
This activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.
Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.