Portland Youth Philharmonic Over the Past 100 Years!
A Brief History of the Oldest Continuously Operating Youth Orchestra in the U.S.A!
- 1924-1953: Mary V. Dodge & Jacques Gershkovitch
In 1924, a group of visionary citizens established the Portland Junior Symphony Association (later renamed the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association or PYP for short). Building on the pioneering work of Mary V. Dodge, whose Irvington School Orchestra was the nucleus of the first Junior Symphony, the Association engaged Russian émigré Jacques Gershkovitch as conductor. PYP is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States. The structure and standards that it established for training young musicians in the 1920s became the prototype for youth orchestras across the country.
Pictured above: Mary V. Dodge teaching her first orchestra, the Harney County Sagebrush Symphony Orchestra, from 1912-1917. Later she moved to Portland to conduct the Irvington School Orchestra and establish the Portland Junior Symphony.
Pictured above: The Portland Junior Symphony in 1925 taking a trip to Salem, Oregon during its first concert season. (Musical Director Jacques Gershkovitch is the tall man on the front row to the right of center).
In his thirty years as Musical Director, Mr. Gershkovitch set standards of excellence that have been maintained to this day. Under his leadership, the Junior Symphony became well known locally, regionally, and nationally through live performances at what is now Keller Auditorium, and through radio broadcasts.
- 1954-1995: Jacob Avshalomov
When Mr. Gershkovitch passed away in 1953, an alumnus of the orchestra, Jacob Avshalomov, was selected as Musical Director. Mr. “A,” as he was affectionately called, led the Junior Symphony for a legendary forty-year tenure that included guest conductors, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and many contemporary composers.
Pictured above: Jacob Avshalomov conducting the Portland Junior Symphony in 1958 at Peninsula Park in Portland, Oregon.
Under Maestro Avshalomov, the orchestra received the distinguished ASCAP Award for “Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music,” and it made six international tours to Europe and Asia. In 1978, the organization’s name was changed to Portland Youth Philharmonic. When Mr. “A” retired after a very long and impressive career, he was succeeded in 1995 by Huw Edwards.
- 1995-2002: Huw Edwards
During the seven years Maestro Edwards was Musical Director, he established the nationally acclaimed Peer Mentor program, broadcasted the world’s first interactive Children’s Concert via satellite across Oregon, and again, received the ASCAP Award for “Adventurous Programming and Commitment to Contemporary Music.” In 1998, PYP represented U.S. at the Banff International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Canada, and in the summer of 2000 embarked on its seventh international tour, this time to Australia and New Zealand.
Pictured above: Huw Edwards and the Philharmonic Orchestra in 1995 at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon.
- 2002-2007: Mei-Ann Chen
When Mr. Edwards chose to make his departure at the end of the 2001-2002 season, Mei-Ann Chen was selected from a field of over 100 applicants to become the fourth Musical Director of PYP. At that time, Ms. Chen was a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan having already completed a double Masters in Violin Performance and Orchestral Conducting from the New England Conservatory. In 2004 during PYP’s 80th Anniversary Season, she led the Philharmonic Orchestra on a tour of the East Coast where they received a standing ovation in Carnegie Hall. Also under her leadership, the orchestra received its third ASCAP Award for “Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music” and made an international trip to Ms. Chen’s home country, Taiwan. In 2005, when she won the prestigious International Malko Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, Denmark, she became the first woman to win since the competition began in 1965.
Pictured above: Mei-Ann Chen in her debut performance with the Philharmonic Orchestra in August 2002 for the Oregon Symphony’s Waterfront Concert.
- 2007-Present Day: David Hattner
David Hattner was selected as PYP’s 5th Musical Director from a pool of 112 candidates by a search committee comprised of board members, alumni, community representatives, musicians, and teachers. He received positive reviews from both audiences and critics alike after his debut with PYP in November 2008. “The Portland Youth Philharmonic roared like a Maserati on Saturday in its first concert under music director David Hattner. The route was challenging, the execution distinguished and the ride delightful,” wrote David Stabler for The Oregonian newspaper.
Pictured above: David Hattner conducts the rehearsal of Portland Youth Philharmonic on July 7, 2014 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
Mr. Hattner received a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Northwestern University where he was a clarinet student of Robert Marcellus. He has participated in the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen three times, studying with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin. In July 2014, Mr. Hattner led the Philharmonic Orchestra to Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival at the invitation of Oregon Symphony Conductor Carlos Kalmar who directs the festival. PYP received a very positive review by Alan Artner, in the Chicago Tribune, citing its programming and execution as “brilliant in all departments.” Mr. Hattner is responsible for new PYP School Music Enrichment Programs providing no-cost Bass classes and Middle School Coaching for youth from the community. Hattner and his conducting staff are passionate about supporting school music programs with free Conductor Visits to bring highly effective teaching and practice techniques to school ensembles around the region.
Over the years, thousands of young musicians have played in one or more of PYP’s ensembles. Some have gone on to professional careers in orchestras across the country, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, as well as Juilliard and American String Quartets. Others have achieved great success in teaching music or exploring non-musical fields, while continuing to be accomplished amateur musicians and active supporters of the arts in their communities. Alumni often attribute much of their success in life to the discipline and teamwork they experienced as members of the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
Celebrating 100 years in the 2023-2024 season, PYP invites all alumni, families, and audience members to help shape the future of America’s first and longest-running youth orchestra and your alma mater by joining our Friends of PYP network. PYP is still training musicians for excellence and for success in life. YOU can be part of PYP’s bright future by becoming a Friend of PYP today.
- Digital Timeline by History IT
PYP is excited to announce that we have an all-new digital museum that will help keep the history of PYP alive forever, created in partnership with HistoryIT.
“HistoryIT is thrilled to support the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s efforts to digitally preserve and share their past. The PYP is establishing a framework that ensures the story of their global impact and the legacy of their alumni will be available to inspire current and future generations. We can’t think of a better way to honor such a monumental milestone.” — Kristen Gwinn-Becker, PhD, HistoryIT Founder & CEO
Experience this permanent digital timeline for yourself!