Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Reynolds also serves as the associate conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and is on the faculty at the University of Dayton where he is a professor of music. In addition to his work with the Youth Orchestra, he considers conducting the Dayton Philharmonic for Dayton Opera’s 2019 production of “La Bohème” to be among his proudest artistic successes.
“From music to drama to detail to color, ‘La Bohème’ is an amazing work of art,” he said. “It was also very challenging to conduct. Music requires us to grow. It asks musicians to be humble because we have to change ourselves to be what the music requires of us. We can’t bully the music. And with a work like ‘La Bohème,’ you have to be ready for anything and everything.”
Dayton Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman acknowledges Reynolds’ dedication to the DPYO and his influence in the lives of young people.
“He’s done great work with the DPYO and has touched and influenced the lives of countless young musicians,” Gittleman said. “Some of them have ended up in the DPO and other professional orchestras. Others have ended up working in labs, hospitals, schools, law firms, and other non-musical endeavors. But every one of them has been changed for the better, and for good, because of Pat Reynolds. Pat eats, sleeps and breathes the Youth Orchestra, and it shows in the wonderful concerts the kids perform and in who they are in their post-DPYO lives.”
Unified to create beauty
Born in Baton Rouge, La., Reynolds grew up playing trumpet with an appreciation for all facets of music thanks to his parents. His father was a conductor and his mother was a piano teacher and singer. As a trumpeter, he enjoyed instrumental rock bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, but by the time he was in high school in Ames, Iowa, he was hooked on classical music. He ultimately earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Master and Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan.
What drew him most to music was simply being in the presence of fellow musicians.
“Musicians have to be very versatile personalities in order to make all the different kinds of music they’re asked to make,” Reynolds said. “You can’t really be a very stiff person and then encompass everything music demands of us. I’ve just always been around musicians because they’re open to new ideas, they’re inventive and imaginative, and have a great sense of humor. One of my favorite quotes basically says that an orchestra is a community that comes together for the sole purpose of agreeing with itself. I’ve always liked the idea that musicians are brought together for a single purpose. And in life and society, we need more things that bring us together for a unified purpose. And in music, the unified purpose is to create beauty.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The interdependence within the nature of orchestras, bands and choirs also appeals greatly to him.
“We have to rely on each other,” Reynolds said. “And for young people within a youth orchestra, they experience what it is to live in a community of people who are after the same thing — the search for beauty. And that’s very special. ”
Valerie Ankeney, former DPYO principal horn from 2009 to 2013, fondly remembers her time with the organization. She found Reynolds’ passion inspiring and is grateful for the opportunities she has had in her field, which currently includes serving as the acting assistant principal/utility horn for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and visiting assistant professor of horn at Miami University.
“My time in DPYO was one large factor that helped me understand why I had this wild dream to have a performance career,” Ankeney said. “I still remember to this day the chills I had from getting to observe a DPO rehearsal from sitting right behind the bells of the horn players as they played Bartók’s ‘Miraculous Mandarin.’ Dr. Reynolds made sure I had that experience to be fully immersed in a professional atmosphere to see what it was like. Patrick Reynolds truly is a gift to aspiring young musicians no matter which career path we chose from that young age. His passion was contagious and the spark of curiosity he brought up in my life from such an early age to pursue this field all stems from the opportunities through which he helped guide the way.”
An enduring legacy
Founded in 1937 by Paul Katz, DPYO provides opportunities for young musicians to study and perform a broad range of orchestral repertoire. In particular the organization is “committed to inspiring an overall cultural awareness and appreciation of music in its members and audiences, strengthening our region’s existing school music programs, and helping stimulate interest in the development of school orchestral programs where none exist.” DPYO consists of students in grades 9 through 12.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The Winter Concert will feature music by Edward “Duke” Ellington, Kamille Austin and Antonín Dvořák. Austin’s “Thee Surrender” was commissioned for the DPYO. The remaining concerts this season will take place Sunday, March 16 at the Schuster Center, ”It’s a World of Dance” with Dayton Ballet Studio Company and the Celtic Academy of Irish Dance, and Sunday, May 4 at the Schuster Center, featuring the premiere of Stella Sung’s “The Phoenix Rises: A New Beginning” commissioned for the DPYO.
“I think the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is one of Dayton’s greatest treasures and has been one of our greatest treasures since the 1930s,” Reynolds said. “There are cities much larger than Dayton that don’t have the length of history with their youth orchestras and in some cases don’t even have a youth orchestra comparable to ours. The Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra has not only survived but thrived. It’s something this city should be very proud of. There are few entities in our community that have lasted so long and continues so strong.”
HOW TO GO
What: Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Winter Concert
When: 2 and 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 1
Where: University of Dayton’s Roger Glass Center for the Arts, 29 Creative Way, Dayton
Cost: $20
More info: 937-228-3630 or visit daytonperformingarts.org
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