Liza Grossman of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra

The story goes this way. When Liza Grossman was in the second grade at Chrysler Elementary School in Detroit, that city’s Symphony Orchestra came to visit. During the casual concert—the orchestra played while seated on the floor of the gymnasium—the conductor asked if anyone in the audience would like to try conducting. Hands shot up all over the place, but it was Liza who was selected. She bounced up on the podium and the conductor handed her a baton. She raised her arms, grinned, and launched a downbeat. The orchestra promptly played. Something. Liza doesn’t remember what, exactly, but it doesn’t matter. The little girl was totally captivated by the sound that enveloped her. From that moment on, Liza was in love—with music.

She went home that day and told her parents she wanted to play the violin. “I don’t know why I asked for a violin, specifically,” she says with a grin, “but I did. It felt like forever until I actually got mine, although Mom says it was just one week. My grandfather overhead me asking if I could have a violin, and the very next day—there it was! A half-size violin.” She laughs, and when Liza laughs, so do you. “I still have that violin.”

“It was too big for me, but that didn’t make any difference. I joined a beginning string class at Chrysler, and here I am—still playing violin. And viola.” Did she have any idea that she’d still be playing after all these years? “Not by a long shot,” she responds. “But I did know I’d be doing something with music. Actually, I understand the violin. It makes sense, I understand how it works, so I can teach it. But deep down, it’s just all about the music. The violin was the means to the end.”

All through high school at northern Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy, Liza continued to play the violin, but always as a section player. Being in the orchestra provided lots of opportunities to study the various conductors who appeared. “Some of them were so professional and yet fun at the same time,” Liza says. “And enthusiastic—or demanding.” She shrugs, eloquently, then continues. “Or uninterested in the process, and sometimes just right in the middle of all those things.”

Liza brings most of those qualities—except for the uninterested one—with her to the podium when she conducts the orchestra she founded a bit more than eleven years ago. Consider us lucky that after leaving Interlochen, she decided to come to Cleveland State University for college, because that’s how Cleveland ended up with the only orchestra in the world that is comprised of high school age musicians, and plays mostly contemporary orchestra music on the very same program as rock and roll. Or blues. Or jazz. Now in its eleventh season, the Contemporary Youth Orchestra has two more concerts scheduled for this spring. One is this Saturday March 18, at Waetjen Auditorium at Cleveland State. The other, the annual Rock the Orchestra Festival which will be held May 25, featuring a really BIG name in rock annals, will be announced soon. (Watch their web-site for information.)

Liza and her young charges have garnered international attention, not only for the repertoire they play with such gusto, but also the guest artists who appear with them. For instance: Graham Nash, Jon Anderson, Pat Benatar and Neil Geraldo. It was the CYO that presented the WORLD premiere of Riders on the Storm, a violin concerto conceived by Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke, using nine songs originally made famous by The Doors. Usually the orchestra plays at CSU (where it’s in residence) but that particular concert was at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. That actually happened on June 8, 2001, when Mark Jackobs (who is still a member of the Cleveland Orchestra, by the way) was the soloist. (The Doors Concerto was eventually recorded by superstar violinist Nigel Kennedy.)

The thirty-something Jackobs says, “It was so cool to meet those guys” referring not only to Coleman, but also Nash and Jon Anderson, whom he met when their music was presented in 2004, since he’s also a member of the Board of Trustees of CYO. Jackobs laughs as he adds, “All the kids were rummaging through their parents’ record collections, trying to find out more about these rock icons, some of whom they’d never heard of before these concerts.”

Even though she studied classical music, Liza grew up with rock and roll, so it’s hardly a stretch that she would find a way to combine the two disparate art forms. When she was just 17, still attending Interlochen Arts Academy (her high school of choice) Liza Grossman knew what career she wanted for herself. She knew it had to have music firmly at the center, and she loved teaching. So, the career she chose for herself was that of ‘Youth Orchestra Conductor’. There was just one little problem. At that time, there was no such thing—anywhere—as a Youth Orchestra.

It didn’t take very long for her to find one. As a college sophmore, Liza was teaching violin at a local music school, when she was asked to organize—and conduct—a chamber orchestra at the school. “I can do that,” she replied, and then proceeded to set about learning just how to do it. At least, she’d had a good bit of experience watching conductors, during all those years as a classical violinist and violist.

Then, in 1992, Ms. Grossman and her young musicians attended a workshop on contemporary music at CSU where the featured speaker was the noted American composer Bernard Rands. If Liza is the mother of the CYO, then he is certainly the grandfather, because he told her “You have an ability to hear and teach this music. It is a gift and I think you should start a contemporary youth orchestra.” She thought about it for two years, then bit the bullet, invested her life savings, and set about the process of starting an orchestra. From scratch.

However, being slightly ahead of herself—a position she’s maintained to this day, and will probably keep on doing for at least the next fifty years or so—she persevered, and is today doing exactly what she dreamed of doing. Liza is midway through season eleven as founder and music director of Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra, in residence at Cleveland State University. This orchestra is not to be confused with its slightly older sibling in residence down the street at Severance Hall—the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, which is this year celebrating its 20th season.

Liza’s orchestra is vastly different from that one—and a tad larger. True, they share some of the same players—and music—but Liza’s orchestra is the only one in the United States—possibly the world—that plays rock music on its concerts, right along with contemporary orchestra literature! There is just one rule for determining the eligibility of which composers get played, however. They must have lived into the 1900s. No matter if he—or she—died in 1901, they’re still eligible. That does leave out Beethoven and Mozart and Haydn and Brahms and Wagner, to be sure. But that opens the door to newer masters. Actually, in their ten years, the CYO has presented 38 World Premieres, all of them with the composer present. Local composers include Monica Houghton, Margaret Brouwer, Paul Leary, Loris O. Chobanian, Nicholas Underhill, and the late Dennis Eberhard. Of course, they’ve also played several works by Dr. Rands, as well as the esteemed Joan Tower. Leary, who taught theory and computer music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, doubles as principal orchestrator of the non-orchestral pieces chosen for performance. Leary is now pursuing his doctorate at Duke University in North Carolina.

The first rehearsal in September, 1995 consisted of 35 musicians, the backbone of the organization. They played full-sized pieces, although “with a little help from my friends”, Liza is quick to add. She gave no quarter, nor did her young charges ask for any. It was a challenging program, by any standard. The first piece performed was And God Created Great Whales by the American-Armenian composer, Alan Hovhaness.

Last season, for the tenth anniversary gala concert, musicians and alumni of the CYO were the featured artists, either as composer or performers. One of these talented youngsters was Ryan Gallagher, now a junior composition major at The Juilliard School, who has had two pieces performed by CYO. Liza hopes to one day commission a concerto from Ryan for a then-member of the orchestra.

“I’ve been listening to David Bowie since I was thirteen,” Liza says, as partial explanation of the next concert that features jazz/blues pianoman Mike Garson. This one is really a twist. Mike specializes in improvisation-style playing, which works well for one or two or maybe three instrumentalists playing together. But 115 muscians plus soloist? Even when he’s the soloist? Well, how this one’s going to work is: Mike noodled around on the piano with a tape recorder going. He sent the tapes off to Paul Leary, who then orchestrated the improvisations. While CYO plays this, Mike will then improv on top of it. Should be spectacular. Comments heard during a recent rehearsal of the orchestral parts were extremely favorable. “That music could stand independently!” “I’d like to hear more of that.”

An equally avid advocate of teaching, Garson will be doing workshops for students during the week prior to his performance. He’s also on the advisory board of Free Hands Music Pad System which allows the conductor (or performer) to turn the pages of the music electronically, using a foot pedal, leaving hands free for other duties. The music is shown on a screen, in Liza’s case, on a stand in front of the podium. Liza will be using this method of following the score during the upcoming concert, courtesy of Free Hands.

This concert, by the way, includes music by Gershwin and Dave Brubeck, plus a David Bowie classic for piano and orchestra, and the blues improv piece by Garson. The 3rd and 4th year musicians in CYO say it’s the most demanding music ever handed to them.

Contrary to the structure of most large orchestras, CYO is a democracy. Liza planned it that way. “It’s important for these young musicians to have a voice in the preparation of the music that we study. This is a collaborative effort, and as a result, they have ownership of the music. It’s thrilling for them.”

Of course, there are the rare painful times, as well, when a student may not demonstrate the necessary qualities for inclusion in the orchestra. Liza has had to turn away youngsters who may have exhibited technical proficiency, but didn’t display the necessary enthusiasm or desire that she wants to see. She auditions the ‘entire’ person, “It’s the who, not the what” that she’s after. Those qualities are why the orchestra is bigger than it maybe should be by about ten musicians.

Liza is firmly planted in Cleveland now, and her entire family is here, as well. Her Mom lives in Ohio City as does sister Sadie (the actress). Brother Adam, an auto mechanic, lives in Lakewood.

But with all she’s accomplished so far, Liza never forgets the help she’s had along the way. “We have the most amazing Board,” she says, her big smile threatening to engulf her face. “They believe in giving the CYO members as many opportunities as possible.” Then there are the foundations that have provided very specific help: The Gund and The Kulas Foundations; The Ohio Arts Council; Ronald McDonald Foundation; the Cuyahoga County Commissioners; the Plain Dealer, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and of course Cleveland State University. CSU has provided space in the Music Building at E. 21st and Euclid, for rehearsals, auditions and concerts from the very beginning. Plus, of course, the many individual donors who’ve believed enough in the project to put their money where their hands applaud.

Perhaps the highest upside to the eleven year adventure is this: 100% of the young musicians go on to college. Not all of them have graduated—yet—there hasn’t been time enough for that to happen. It will, however. Liza Grossman says so. And whatever Liza says—goes!

Come and hear for yourself. You might be similarly inspired! March 18 at 7 pm at Waetjen Auditorium of Cleveland State University will be the scene of a totally new venture in orchestral music. Or jazz or blues. Expose yourself to some great new music!

For upcoming concert, ticket or other information, call (216) 321-3525 or visit their website: http://www.cyorchestra.org

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artwriterATadelphia.net

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