For months, the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra (SCVYO), in partnership with Santa Clarita Ballet, has been refining its music to bring Maurice Sendak’s 1963 children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” to life. The orchestra has three performance groups: Prelude Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra and Novae Sinfonia. In preparation for the upcoming performance, each of SCVYO’s groups spent up to two hours practicing each week for their Dec 6 winter children’s concert at Golden Valley High School.
At SCVYO, many beginner and intermediate musicians have the opportunity to play with musicians above their skill level, learning from coaches available for each instrument. Because of this, less experienced performers can hone their skills and grow more confident as musicians. Victoria Vasquez, a sophomore cellist at West Ranch, has played with SCVYO since she was nine and says it has made her musical experience better. “It’s given me opportunities that I probably won’t have. I’ve been able to travel all around the world and I’ve learned so much. They’ve made music very enjoyable, and it makes me want to keep pursuing it,” she explained.
At their annual winter concert, each of SCVYO’s ensembles played a variety of songs. One song in particular was a folk tune called “Miyiiha’ Nehiinkem,” which means “Hello my Friends” in Tongva, an extinct language spoken by the Tongva people. Mark Gutierrez, the conductor of the Prelude Ensemble and the Symphony Orchestra, emphasized the importance of reviving a dead language and educating his students on history: “Languages are important because they hold worldviews. A language isn’t just a set of words that you can just memorize. They actually impart different kinds of meanings.”
The writer of “Miyiiha’ Nehiinkem,” Tina Calderon, is a culture bearer of the Komiikranga people, a Tongva tribe. “I wanted to honor her words and this idea of greeting a friend as we try to greet people and bring this into this indigenous knowledge,” Gutierrez expressed.
The centerpiece of the show was “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, a children’s story about a boy named Max whose bedroom is transformed into an island inhabited by monsters called Wild Things. Although he eventually becomes King of the Wind Things, Max realizes he wishes to be with the person who loves him most, so he returns home. When he returns to his bedroom, he finds a hot supper waiting for him.
This year’s concert incorporated mixed-media elements, including narration, projected illustrations and choreography by Santa Clarita Ballet to bring “Where the Wild Things Are” to life. While the orchestra played music tailored to each scene from the book, performers for Max and the Wild Things advanced across the stage. Additionally, young audience members were encouraged to dance and sing along to the story, using handheld lights to reciprocate the dancers and musicians on stage. “We actually got to interact with the audience, and we got to kind of play with the storyline a little bit, and I thought that was really cool, and how we were essentially not only just bringing our music to life, but also the story”Vasquez said.
In 2021, SCVYO started a tradition of doing a children’s concert based on a children’s story every December. The idea of a children’s concert based on “Where the Wild Things Are” was the brainchild of SCVYO’s artistic director, Rachel Iba. “Over the summer, I watched a documentary, by Spike Jones, about Maurice Sendak, who is the author of the book. I was just totally captivated by him, so I started rereading a bunch of his children’s books. I was reading this book at the same time I was planning what repertoire we were gonna play for the concert, and it was like a lightbulb,” Ibas shared.
Iba said the process had not exactly been easy: “It’s been very complex due to having to put all the different elements together, but I think everyone really believed in the vision, and it’s been a lot of fun for everyone to get to kind of experience different art forms that they don’t normally work in.” But thanks to everyone’s commitment, the hard work put into preparing the music was heard.
One of the most captivating parts of the Youth Orchestra’s performances was that they integrate storytelling with music, creating an immersive ambiance for performers and audience members alike. As their fourth winter children’s concert, SCVYO will continue to bring communities together to provide a story-driven musical experience. For musicians interested in joining SCVYO, the Spring application will open on Jan. 25th at www.scvyo.org.
