Home»Galleries»Performing Arts & Artists»VYOA»First Night Burlington 2009

Vermont Youth Orchestra
"Stars on the Hill Group"

Troy Peters, Conductor
Duncan Yandell, Fiddle

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Burlington, Vermont

As part of First Night Burlington 2009, the VYO performed two shows at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. The photos in this gallery are from the 4:30 performance; because of strict First Night Burlington policies against photography at their events, I shot only Duncan's solos, including stills at the 4:30pm performance and a video of the the 12N performance (both with permission). My apologies to other VYO performers; whenever possible at any performing arts event I try to photograph a good sampling of all performers. That wasn't the goal here, and I did not request permission to document the whole performance--only Duncan's solo.

The varied program had something for everyone, including the world premiere of "Midnight Unfolding", composed by Zach Sheets of the Vermont MIDI Project.

The music Duncan performed was the "Stars on the Hill Group", a set of traditional Cape Breton fiddle tunes arranged for orchestra and solo fiddle by Scott Macmillan with Dan R. MacDonald, and John Morris Rankin. Both performances were to packed houses, and both received standing ovations. The arrangement was originally done for, and performed by, Natalie MacMaster with Symphony Nova Scotia. We thank Scojen Music Productions and Publishing Ltd., and particularly Jennyfer Brickenden, for their cooperation in providing charts and full orchestral score to the Vermont Youth Orchestra for this performance.

The Stars on the Hill Group comprises nine different Cape Breton fiddle tunes:

• Stars on the Hill (waltz)
• J. Scott Skinner's Welcome to Inverness (march)
• The Marchioness of Huntly (strathspey)
• The Athlete (strathspey)
• Devil in the Kitchen (strathspey)
• MacLaine of Loch Buie (reel)
• Mrs. Beattie Wallace (reel)
• Red Shoes Reel (reel)
• Jack Daniel's Reel (reel)

For more information about the Vermont Youth Orchestra, including a schedule of upcoming performances, please see the VYOA website. Their next public performance--including the VYO Chorus--will be on January 17th, 8:00pm at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, when they will perform Video Games Live, a syndicated and internationally popular "immersive performance event" featuring orchestrated and choral music from the most popular video games. Tickets are available through the Flynn Box Office.

-Dave Yandell

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