Aquatic music, a composition by Georg Friedrich Händel was surprising in the first movements of the Youth Orchestra of the Municipal Center for the Arts, during the last concert of the 2022-2023 school year.
At the helm of the orchestra, the young conductor Juan Carlos Chavarría Reyes, teacher and trombonist of the Camerata Mazatlán, proudly originating from Santa María Tonanitla, in the State of Mexico, led the group of virtuoso instrumentalists with leadership, charisma and professionalism.
The concert held last Thursday at the Museo de la Música, had among other purposes: Saying goodbye to the school year, saying goodbye to the musicians who finished their careers, getting them to lose their “fear” of the stage and sharing musical talent with the public.
Enthusiastic, the protagonists, students and some teachers of the School of Music of the Instituto de Cultura de Mazatlán, gave a small sample of virtuosity, discipline, commitment but above all passion for music.
In an intimate and familiar atmosphere, the members of the Youth Orchestra captivated the audience by interpreting ‘Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka opus 214,’ by Johann Strauss: a joyful, dizzying, highly enjoyable piece of short duration but very well received by the spectators, who with their clapping joined the agile and melodious sound of the orchestra and thanked the brilliant performance of clarinetist José Alfredo Bocanegra Bocanegra.
That night, student Sebastián Cedillo Fernández had a moment of glory when he stood out as solo trumpeter in the interpretation of ‘Concierto for Trumpet’ in E flat major by Johhan Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), a piece of difficult interpretation, complicated even for more advanced musicians.
After three years in Mazatlán and just five months of work at the head of the Youth Orchestra, Juan Carlos Chavarría managed to direct a festive program, impregnated with fluid and joyful music to which was added ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5’ by Johannes Brahms.
“We have been working with very cool music this semester and the idea was to end the semester with music that was a little happier. Now it occurred to me to do the concert with polkas so that the students would not feel so burdened with work because they belong to the Orchestra. It’s something difficult”.
Some teachers from the CULTURA Music School participated in the concert.
“Suddenly we don’t have some clarinet, or bassoon, flute or tuba students and we complement each other… other students come from outside, they don’t belong to the campus but we invite them to join and play with us”, justified maestro Chavarría Reyes.
At the end of the concert, the prominent trombonist spoke about the repertoire and the importance of performing these concerts.
“I wanted to play music that was a little more difficult, especially so that they (students) have the experience and when it comes to getting to the Professional Orchestra, their fear is much less.”
Chavarría Reyes has a degree in Trombone, graduated from the National Conservatory of Music, has taken courses to specialize in this instrument and has received classes with private teachers in England and Italy.
In Mazatlán, maestro Chavarría attended an orchestra conducting course given by maestro Sergio Freeman and, thanks to that training, for a few months he has directed the Instituto de Cultura de Mazatlán Youth Orchestra.
