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By David Amos
 SAN DIEGO—I have always advocated that the future of classical music is in the hands of our younger generations. After all, this is the only way that any tradition is carried from one group of people to the one that follows. These values could be in religion, democracy, science, ethics, and certainly in the arts.
In quality music, it is of the highest priority that the art form is taught in the early years. Unfortunately, in recent decades, we have been very neglectful of this, and, as you well know, we are starting to pay the price: Mostly because of budget cuts in school programs, classical music audiences have been dwindling, radio stations have been closing, compact disc sales are at an all time low, and music organizations are forced to downsize to stay afloat. You have all heard the term “graying audiences."
We now have an entire middle generation of talented, busy baby boomers, most of whom never heard, and do not relate to classical music. It was simply never part of their home or school experiences.
So, the only solution to this focuses on our youth. We need to educate our younger generations of the beauty and rewards of classical music, and at the same time, encourage the talented ones to have a forum for their artistic expression, and to make sure that all of this is shared with as many people as possible.
During this last weekend, I saw an encouraging step toward these goals. It was a concert presentation at the Balboa Theatre of the 2009 International Youth Symphony, which was jointly sponsored by the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, and the Rotary International Youth Exchange.
For the fifth consecutive year, students gathered from around the globe to join San Diego’s talented musical youth for an intensive summer music camp program. Under the direction of Artistic Director Jeff Edmonds, these local and international
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participants experienced the powerful influence of music in the promotion of world understanding, friendship, and peace. The culmination was two performances, one of chamber music, and the other, the one I witnessed, of the symphony orchestra.
The 38 piece orchestra was comprised of players from the San Diego Youth Symphony, and other young musicians from Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Turkey, and Venezuela.
The well attended concert was sponsored by Marks, Golia, & Finch, LLP. It included music which, coincidentally, I have directed recently, both in San Diego and other places as guest conductor. The enthusiastic audience heard Mozart’s delightful Overture to Cosi fan Tutti, the haunting Pavane by Gabriel Faure, the virtuosic first movement from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major with violin soloist Andy Leu, and in the second half of the concert, the iconic Beethoven work which has been labeled “The Apotheosis of the Dance”, his Symphony No. 7 in A Major.
You could sense the spirit and enthusiasm of these young students as they performed these enduring masterpieces, and I kept hoping that, A) Many of them will continue with their music studies and “pass the word” throughout their lives about the rewards and wonders of classical music, and that B) There were even younger non-participants in the audience who were sufficiently smitten to become music participants themselves, or at least, supporters and promoters of quality music in their adult lives.
The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory is the sixth oldest continuously operating youth symphony in the United States and boasts nearly 500 students annually in seven different training ensembles. Ensemble skill levels range from pre-professional to beginner with students between the ages of 7 to 25 participating. Other instructional programs include conducting classes, wind and brass ensembles, chamber ensembles, Jazz, and viola instruction. SDYS is currently accepting student registrations for August auditions.
For more information, call the S.D Youth Symphony office, (619) 233 3232, or visit their website, www.sdys.org.
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