Youth
Chamber
and
Prep
Orchestras
Academy of Saint Cecilia
c/o DMUC
9700 New Church Street
Damascus, MD 20872
(301) 253-0022
talenthntr@aol.com
An opportunity to study and perform great orchestral music in a faith context
About Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is called the patroness saint of music because she reportedly sang in her heart to God while musicians played at her wedding. A third century martyr, Cecilia was venerated by the Roman Catholic Church in the fourth century and made patron saint of the Academy of Music in Rome in 1584. Saint Cecilias martyrdom is a testament to her faith in eternal life, which, like great music, transcends earthly existence.
About the Membership
Academy of Saint Cecilia holds auditions annually in August. Membership in the orchestra is contingent upon a successful audition and a need for instrumentation. Applicants are judged according to musical abilities and character without regard to sex, race, religion, or country of natural origin.
About the Orchestra Rehearsals
Rehearsals are held September through May on Tuesday evenings in Damascus, Maryland. Each orchestra meets for twelve rehearsals in preparation for each semesters concert series and includes a fellowship time for getting to know other orchestra members.
About the Academy
The Academy of Saint Cecilia Youth Orchestra is a non-profit organization that offers three performing orchestras for aspiring young musicians. Founded in 2001, the orchestra rehearsed for the first time on September 11, 2001.
The Academy of Saint Cecilia performs great orchestral music of the past and present while encouraging its members to make faith commitments and pursue religious vocations in music and the arts.
Music deserves to be performed in the spirit in which it was written, and orchestra members discover the power of music through diligent practice and thoughtful consideration of the composers intentions and the musics faith implications. Prayer, excellent musicianship, theology, and caring fellowship are respected, revered, and practiced. Students in the Youth Orchestra are rewarded for their study and discipline with honoraria given each semester for their work and performance. Students in the Chamber and Preparatory Orchestras look forward to developing their skills and one day auditioning for the Youth Orchestra.
This profound musical experience is open to youth of all faith backgrounds who possess the necessary prerequisites for acceptance through the audition process.
About the Artistic Director
The Reverend Walter G. Edmonds has an extensive musical and ministerial background. He is senior pastor at Damascus United Methodist Church, where he directs choirs and conducts the Living Christmas Tree and other major choral and orchestral performances. Before coming to the Academy of Saint Cecilia, he conducted the Laurel Oratorio Society. He led the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal Celebration at Constitution Hall and chaired the 1999 regional convocation of the United Methodist Fellowship of Music and Worship Arts. Edmonds holds a BA in organ and voice from Lycoming College, a Masters of Divinity from Yale University, and a Masters of Music in choral conducting from Temple University.
About the Conductor
Kenneth Webb is the Conductor for the Chamber and Prep Orchestras and the former Director of Music at Glenelg United Methodist Church. After graduating with a Music Education Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, Webb taught elementary music in Preston, MD. He has played in productions at Olney and Fords Theatres and at the Kennedy Center. He is a staff member of the United Methodist Fellowship of Music and Worship Arts camp. Webb was the director of elementary and middle school choirs at Hughes UMC, the director of the intergenerational group Joy and has conducted major choral and instrumental works.
About the Orchestra Administrator
Violinist Lerna May-Frandsen has performed with the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra, the Prince Georges County Philharmonic Orchestra, the Landon Symphonette, and was a member of Kinara String Quartet. May-Frandsen has freelanced in the Greater Washington, D.C. area with performers such as the late Ray Charles and Smokey Robinson; is a founding member of Umoja String Quartet; and maintains a private teaching studio. She is the president of Entertainment & Literacy Management, Inc. May-Frandsen received her B.A. in American Studies from the University of Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law.
About the Concerts
The Academy of Saint Cecilia orchestras perform a fall and spring concert each year in different venues in the Maryland suburbs and Washington, D.C. area. The Academy is preparing for its international debut in France in June 2005.
About the Orchestras
The Youth Orchestra students are advanced musicians who study regularly with private teachers and who have previous considerable orchestral experience.
The Chamber Orchestra is for intermediate string and woodwind student.
The Prep Orchestra is for the young musician who is beginning to play in an orchestra.
Endowment Information
Musical Conductors Endowment
Gifts in this category will help defray the compensation for the musical directors. Gifts may be made in memory or in honor of another person.
$10,000 Conductors Circle
Concert Chairs Endowment
Gifts in this category will help in disbursing honoraria to our young musicians in the Youth Orchestra. Donors may choose to name their chair.
$8,000 Concertmaster Chair
$6,000 Principals Chair (Section)
$4,000 All Other Chairs
Orchestra Administration Endowment
Gifts in this category will help in the procurement of necessary musical supplies and services.
$2,000 Composers Circle
Instrument & Equipment Endowment
Gifts in this category will help to purchase and rent needed instruments and equipment.
$1,000 Stradivarius Circle
Thank you for your generous support of the Academy of Saint Cecilia Youth Orchestra!
Make checks payable to:
The Academy of Saint Cecilia
c/o Damascus United Methodist Church
9700 New Church Street
Damascus, MD 20872
Please contact Ms. Lerna May-Frandsen, Orchestra Administrator, at (301) 459-1975 or talenthntr@aol.com, should you have any questions. Thank you.