Imperial Valley Symphony holds Young Artist concert, awards scholarships
EL CENTRO – The Imperial Valley Symphony Association (IVSA) highlighted six young musicians at their last concert of the 2022-23 school year on Saturday, June 3, each performing a solo concerto from famous composers, at the Jimmie Cannon Theater for Performing Arts at Southwest.
According to the IVSA website, each year at the final concert of the Imperial Valley Symphony season a “Young Artist Concert” is held, “which features the talents of many student musicians from around our county.”
At the end of the concert Imperial Valley Symphony Young Artist Concert, students were
each given an IVSA scholarship of $300. Young artists between the ages 12-19 were eligible to perform, most of them this year hailing from Southwest High School.
“It started out as a way for seniors to get in their last hurrah, but then we opened it up for everyone who could perform a concerto,” Dr. Matthew Busse, Imperial Valley Symphony director and Southwest High School music chair and director of the Southwest High School orchestras, said.
Busse praised a particular student by the name of Dante de Jesus Villegas, who played a concerto on the viola. A Southwest High School alum of the Class of 2022, Villegas started playing with the IVSA while still in middle school at Wilson Junior High.
“He’s always welcome to play with us,” Busse said. Villegas continues his studies at San Diego State University in viola performance.
While Busse enjoys the atmosphere of a professional orchestra, “part of me loves working with students and getting them interested and passionate about music.”
Busse believes it’s his calling but fought it in years past. He called introducing students to things they’ve never seen a “comfort zone,” recounting the times Busse took students on trips to the opera, concerts in San Diego, and playing at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Despite financial hardships and other obstacles – as the Imperial Valley Symphony operates totally by donations from donors who keep it going – the concert was free admission to the community.
Busse described that the IVSA tries to bring the culture of music to the Valley even when the general interest is low.
“We keep it free in order to make it accessible,” Busse said.
Busse said he hopes the new IVSA board will come up with fresh ideas for fundraising and building up the orchestra.
“[The students] are given these opportunities that they otherwise would never have a chance to do,” he said.