Festival's Youth Orchestra to perform Spring Concert

The Festival at Sandpoint’s Youth Orchestra will perform classical, pop, and seasonal favorites at its Spring Concert taking place in mid-May.

The concert, which will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 417 N. Fourth Ave., will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m. All ages are welcome, and admission is free.

Classes for the Youth Orchestra began in September, and the Spring Concert will be the final performance of their 2023-'24 season.

The Festival Youth Orchestra is the longest-standing educational program offered by the Festival at Sandpoint. Beginning in 1998, the program was created to help students develop the necessary skills and knowledge to master their orchestral string instruments.

Over two decades later, the Festival at Sandpoint continues to offer free string classes for students of any age.

Currently, the program is composed of two groups: a Beginning Orchestra and a Continuing Orchestra, led by Karen Dignan, the Festival at Sandpoint’s Youth Orchestra conductor. Both groups are open to any orchestral string player, including the violin, viola, cello, bass, and more. Classes are free for all ages and held weekly on Monday evenings. Students can join at any time from September through May.

The Beginning Orchestra is designed for students who are still getting started but have a basic knowledge of their instrument and reading music, as well as students who are new to playing in an ensemble.

“Many of the Beginning Orchestra members are new to ensemble playing, and this is their first experience in an orchestra,” Dignan said. “Having several players in the group who have been in the orchestra previously, even if only for a year, really helps the new students adapt quickly.”

The Continuing Orchestra Class is for intermediate and advanced students looking to hone their skills and expertise through ensemble playing.

“The students in our Continuing Orchestra rehearse and perform with the full group as well as creating their own smaller ensembles,” Dignan explained. “It gives them the opportunity to choose their own instrumentation and music and figure out how to make it work for a performance.”

A non-profit organization dedicated to the arts, the Festival at Sandpoint hosts an annual Summer Performance Series in Sandpoint, Idaho, that features a variety of genres, including rock, country, folk, indie, and more. The Festival at Sandpoint’s 41st Annual 2024 Summer Performance Series will take place July 25 through Aug. 4 at War Memorial Field, an intimate venue on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.

As a nonprofit, The Festival at Sandpoint strives to provide a rich music experience presenting a wide range of performances in an intimate outdoor setting accessible to local and regional audiences, cultivating culture and ethnic diversity, fostering a love of music through ongoing youth education programs, and stimulate economic growth for our community.

To learn more about the Festival at Sandpoint and purchase season passes, visit www.festivalatsandpoint.com for more information.

To learn more about the Youth Orchestra and the Festival at Sandpoint’s other year-round education programs, visit www.festivalatsandpoint.com/education.

Information: festivalatsandpoint.com