Members of Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra, or SCVYO, wrapped up the year with a final concert at Canyon High School on Sunday, May 18. The bittersweet concert featured pieces from Copland’s “Hoedown” to Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40 in G minor,” showcasing the skills and growth fostered by students over the year.
SCVYO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has offered youth musicians in the Santa Clarita Valley a place to express and develop their skills as musicians since 1985. SCVYO consists of three ensembles that vary based on the level of the student. Most beginner musicians start off in the Prelude ensemble, while intermediate students perform in the Symphony ensemble and advanced students perform in the Novae Sinfonia. Every Sunday, musicians gather at the Dr. Dianne G Van Hook University Center at the College of the Canyons.
Rachel Iba, the artistic director of SCVYO and the Novae Sinfonia’s Conductor, has been working with the program since 2015. “I really fell in love with the program, and I thought it was a really unique approach to music education because we don’t just play classical music, we have a lot of diverse stylistic aspects as well as interdisciplinary stuff.” She concluded, “it’s very much about facilitating community and friendships as well as making high-level music,” Iba shared.
As the program’s staff are professional musicians themselves, Iba expressed how the repertoire selected for the orchestras largely reflects the music and fluidity needed in the professional music workspace. She voiced, “Nowadays, the musicians who are really making their living doing it, are the ones who are stylistically fluent, who can improvise, who can speak different kinds of musical languages.” She added, “I think it’s just such a richer relationship with music and art when you can see, ‘Oh that song I listened to on the radio,’ and you can hear connections between that and a Mozart symphony.”
SCVYO’s executive director Xaman Kryger has been a part of the program since she first started off as one of the youth orchestra students in seventh grade. Kryger affirmed the program’s diverse music selection as core part of the program. “[Our] mission is to provide musical education for the kids in Santa Clarita, but also to not just be that boilerplate of schooling,” she explained. “We make sure that we produce well-rounded musicians, that not only know classical music but are familiar with other genres as well, like how to count in Indian classical music.” SCVYO has promoted this diverse musical fluidity as seen in past years’ repertoire with “Arirang” for Haegeum and Orchestra, a traditional Korean Folk song, or “Company” by Phillip Glass, a contemporary minimalistic piece with four movements.
Preludes began the show with “Frere Jacque,” a traditional French Folk song, “Asobu” by Keiko Yamada and “Feed the Birds” by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. Next, the Symphony Orchestra performed “Second Storm” by Robert W. Smith, “Fallen Down (Reprise)” by Toby Fox and the “Magic Flute Overture” by W.A. Mozart. Lastly, before intermission, Novae Sinfonia performed Aaron Copland’s “Hoe-Down” from “Rodeo.” After the intermission, Novae Sinfonia played the four-movement “Symphony No. 40 in g minor” by W.A. Mozart. This was the first time in eight years that SCVYO performed an entire symphony on stage.
Ticket prices were $20 for adults, $10 for children six to 17 years of age and seniors. For children under five, tickets were free but still had to be reserved. Proceeds go towards program expenses, student scholarships, as well as an upcoming concert tour to Seattle in spring 2026.
West Ranch Freshman Victoria Vasquez has been a member of SCVYO since third grade, starting in Preludes and having moved up to Novae Sinfonia. Vasquez shared how her experience shaped her: “At a young age [what] motivated me to join [was to] want to learn how to get better, and because of that, I feel I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned to be a leader, I’ve learned how to play more than the notes on the page, I’ve learned to really listen and bring the music to life.”
Vasquez’s favorite memory during her time in SCVYO was last year’s trip to New York. She expressed how playing in Carnegie Hall was “a lifetime experience” because she got the rare opportunity to perform at an iconic venue with her friends.
West Ranch Senior West Ranch Senior Prabhtej Singh performed his last concert after seven years with the orchestra. Singh first started in Preludes, where he moved up to Symphony after a year. Singh continued his time in the orchestra during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he has since moved up to Principal Flutist for Novae Sinfonia.
Singh described how he has grown as a leader by using his experience in Novae Sinfonia to improve his management skills. “Since I’ve been the Principal Flutist, I’ve gotten used to giving constructive feedback and being a leader,” he shared. With the end of high school in sight, Singh plans to carry these life skills into adulthood.
For aspiring musicians, Kryger highlighted the importance of practice, but stressed the importance of not overworking oneself. “Follow your heart, follow where the music speaks to you, because you want to make sure you enjoy what you’re doing,” Kryger advised. “If you don’t like opera, don’t get into the opera pit. There are so many, so many genres and so many opportunities to play different music. You can do exactly what you want to do.”
So, Cats, SCVYO auditions are scheduled for new members on Aug. 9 this year if you are looking to elevate your musical technicality and find a tight-knit community along the way. For more info, visit https://www.scvyo.org/enroll-in-scvyo.
