SURREY SYMPHONY SOCIETY

Over the past fiscal year for the Surrey Symphony Society we have offered in-person educational instruction for youth to play musical instruments in four large orchestras and many small chamber groups. Each student who auditioned successfully was assigned to an orchestra depending on their skill level from low to high – Prelude Strings Intermezzo Strings Symphonic Strings Senior Orchestra. Rehearsals ran every Saturday morning at our rental facility Surrey Christian Secondary from September to May. Students rehearsed in full orchestra with their conductor as well as in instrument groupings with sectional instructors. Voluntary help by parents was used throughout the year such as in rehearsals setting up chairs taking attendance and helping with scholarship competitions. More than 25 volunteers also assisted at each of our two main concerts such as setting up the stage for each orchestra taking tickets at doors and supervising students backstage and in the audience. In October and the following February free and open-to-the-public Open Houses featured students performing some of the pieces of music they had been working on since they started each term. Students in the Symphonic Strings and Senior Orchestra participated in a 2-day overnight music retreat in the fall for intensive rehearsals and much appreciated socialization. Professional sectional instructors and conductors as well as volunteer chaperones (one per room of 7 students) and volunteer leader ensured a well-run productive fun retreat at Charis Camp in Chilliwack BC. A similar Junior weekend retreat at Charis Camp for the two junior orchestras – the Prelude Strings and Intermezzo Strings – took place October 28-29. The younger Prelude students had a fulfilling day retreat on the Saturday with morning and afternoon sectional and full rehearsals as well as lunch before heading back to Surrey. The Intermezzo Strings students had a very successful 2-day overnight experience with professional sectional instructors and their conductor as well as a fun Games Night. The purpose of these music retreats is for more intense rehearsals and socialization providing more of a well-rounded learning environment. Our organization held two live concerts at Chandos Pattison Auditorium Surrey B.C. in December and May featuring all four orchestras a Concerto Competition in January and Scholarship Competitions in April. Our Chamber Music program involved those orchestra students wishing to play.

This year the Surrey Symphony Society created and ran a new orchestra for younger students ages 5 years and up who are at Level RCM 1 with some music reading ability. Rehearsal time was 45 minutes most Saturdays starting from September to May. As this was the inaugural year for these younger students only 20 students were accepted into the program. The new orchestra was named Piccolo Strings. The Board of Directors and Artistic Director also worked on the changing of the Symphonic Strings Orchestra into a full symphonic orchestra which would include wind and brass instruments as well as percussion. The proposed name of this program is Intermediate Orchestra with a proposed amount of Saturday rehearsal time of two hours. This change will facilitate the transition of all Intermediate students especially those in winds and brass into the Senior Orchestra through the building of student skills in playing in symphonic orchestras with full scores of symphonic music. The Intermediate Orchestra is proposed to start September 2024. A Mentorship Program was also started in which students in the Senior Orchestra and Intermediate Orchestra were mentoring students in the Piccolo Strings Prelude Strings and Intermezzo Strings. This guidance helped individual junior students having problems with playing their parts accurately. It also provided work experience for the older students’ CV’s and graduation requirements in some schools as well as confidence building. This program was successful and will continue next year.