From New York to Buenos Aires, Uruguay to Brazil, LHS senior Jacob Pagone visited South America this summer while playing oboe and english horn for the National Youth Orchestra’s 11th season.
Pagone’s month-long trip began just outside of New York City at Purchase College, where he spent two weeks learning to play the three pieces he would perform during the six concerts of the tour.
“We played ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ by Gershwin and we played main piece ‘Scheherazade’ by Rimsy-Korsakov, along with a lesser known American piece by Samuel Barber called ‘Symphony No. 1,’” said Pagone.
After his time in Purchase developing his oboe skills with three other students and a professional oboist, Pagone was off to Carnegie Hall where he participated not only in the season’s kick-off concert but also in the hall’s World Orchestra Week.
“We got to meet so many different people from all over the world. I got to play with the Afghani, Venezuelan, and African Orchestras and I heard the Beijing National Youth Orchestra too,” said Pagone. “They all shared a bit of their culture through the music they played.”
Pagone even met new people within the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, as most of his fellow performers came from different backgrounds.
“There were people from all over the country. From New York, California, Texas, Washington, Kansas, Maine and pretty much every state,” said Pagone. “I am the third kid to come from South Dakota.”
A week staying at NYU and performing at one of the most famous concert halls in the world is a second-to-none experience that can only be topped with a journey to the enchanting cities of South America. Coming from South Dakota, Pagone hardly knew what to expect.
“I barely researched the places other than googling the venues and hotels. I was most excited when I got there and the people were so kind,” said Pagone. “It’s like a different way of life, somehow still slower than here just because everyone took the time to chill.”
Pagone took all the pictures he could in an effort to capture every moment, from walking down the streets of Montevideo to visiting Christ the Redeemer atop the city of Rio de Janeiro. While each country holds a space in his memory and his camera roll, one place in particular stood out to Pagone.
“Buenos Aires was the best city just because it had a lot of the vibes of a European city with the architecture and the flavorfulness of a South American city and the people were really nice,” said Pagone. “[The concert hall] in Argentina had eight floors of Victorian style painted architecture.”
While the trip caused some jet lag and required copious amounts of stamina to perform six concerts in one week, it was still the least difficult part of the process. Being a part of the National Youth Orchestra takes years of practice, and the rigorous audition process takes two to three months itself.
“I think I had 20 or 30 takes by the end of my audition process. I’ve heard that about 1,000 kids audition and about 100 get in, so around 10 percent,” said Pagone. “I found out that I got in during APES with Deetz teaching. There were like 10 minutes left in the class and I just ran out and drove home to tell my parents.”
With his hard work came a great pay-off, as Pagone not only toured South America but also got the opportunity to share and experience culture through music. As Pagone aspires to be a professional musician, this irreplaceable and unique opportunity also offered him a chance to improve his expertise, which he took gladly.
“I am extremely grateful for this experience and I have some memories that I’ll never forget,” said Pagone.
