Farewell to some of our ALTYSO friends May 30, 2010

With my oldest son Hal (a Byrd H.S. graduate) backstage following

the Side by Side SSO/ALTYSO concert May 30, 2010

at Byrd H.S. Auditorium. My twin grandsons will be juniors there next year and members of the graduating class of 2012

About this time last year having had no regular SSO season we the musicians and several hard working sponsors headed up by Dorothy Rivette, Chris Allen, Michael and Debbie Scarlato and others made the annual Side by Side concert of professional musicians and area students a reality once again and chose as our venue Byrd H.S. which has an early connection with the SSO. Subscription Masterworks concerts had begun at Byrd H.S. but were subsequently moved to the old FBC then located downtown and later to the Civic Theatre now renamed Riverview Theatre. I remember playing concerts downtown at FBC during my college years at Centenary and along with a fellow horn player decided to take the stairs up to the old bell tower one evening rehearsal while on break. Needless to say, we did not climb very far as there was no light in the stairwell and I kept thinking about what happened to Kim Novak in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Vertigo". 

The Side by Side concerts with the the ALTYSO began at Expo Hall some years ago after the original SSO Summer Pops outdoor concerts once played every week in the month June through July 4th at various Shreveport parks came to an end. As teachers, mentors and professional musicians we give back to our community by sharing our gift of music and promoting the love of making music to those who come after us.

Having played a couple of years with some of the same students, we must now bid a fond farewell to those who will not be back with us next May. Many of our young colleagues are headed to the collegiate stage and we wish them well in their journey through life. For returning students, we look forward to seeing you again next year!

Honoring a May tradition in 2009

Photos of the side by side concert at Byrd High School - professionals and students making music together




ALTYSO in rehearsal

The end of the season side by side picnic pops concert with the ALTYSO (Ark-La-Tex Youth Symphony Orchestra) and our own professional musicians has been a May tradition in the local symphony concert schedule for many years, but the riverfront was silent on that Saturday evening this year for the first time since the inception of the concerts many years ago, first held at the old EXPO Hall and in recent years at the outdoor amphi-theatre on the riverfront parkway. Many thousands have enjoyed these FREE concerts over the years.

We, the professional musicians and the ALTYSO wanted to share once more this yearly tradition with the area's hard working students who had been anticipating this side by side orchestra performance all school year. Many, many volunteer hours by Dorothy Rivette and other dedicated members made this concert possible.

Above are photos from the concert evening and below are photos of students and pros. rehearsing together side by side for the concert which was held this year at C.E. Byrd High School auditorium. This year's concert included not only professional musicians and students from the ALTYSO, but several college students as well and the younger students of the Symphonietta. We were truly a community of musicians having fun making music together.

Following the same format from previous years, the ALTYSO played several classical pieces, the professional musicians played pops and classics then the combined orchestras played Tchaikovsky and Stars and Stripes for the finale. Christopher Allen and Todd Gabriel conducted the orchestras and Beverly Houston conducted the ALTYSO Symphonietta.

Music, it's who we are and what we are about. Sharing is the best way to pass along this legacy to others.

Rehearsal photos at C.E. Byrd High School Band Room