OREGON SYMPHONY NAMES PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC AS THE WINNER OF THE 2022 SCHNITZER WONDER AWARD
Posted on March 11, 2022
PORTLAND, OR – The Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP), the country’s longest running youth orchestra, is honored to have been named the 2022 recipient of the Schnitzer Wonder Award, which will be presented at the Oregon Symphony’s 125th Gala on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
As stated in a press release by the Oregon Symphony in February, the Schnitzer Wonder Award was created in 2015. Its purpose is to honor an individual or organization that works with the next generation of artists and student musicians. The award comes with a $10,000 monetary prize, intended to help further the work of the winning organization.
Founded in 1924 by a group of visionary citizens, the organization now known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic has educated young musicians and encouraged them to strive for excellence while providing inspiring musical performances to the greater Portland community for nearly a century.
“All of us at the Portland Youth Philharmonic are grateful to Jordan Schnitzer and the Oregon Symphony for this great honor,” said Musical Director David Hattner. “Our work encouraging and empowering young musicians to achieve their highest goals in performance inspires us every day. The Schnitzer Wonder Award comes as PYP is preparing to mark 100 years of excellence in musical training
and performance. We hope to use this recognition and award to inspire even more young people.”
PYP believes in providing great music education to all young musicians. The organization offers an array of opportunities for a high-quality learning experience at no cost to the community, both in local schools and for individual instrumentalists. PYP is proud to offer a challenging repertoire to each generation of musicians in their various ensembles to help students reach their full potential and move to the next step in their musical journeys. While most PYP musicians ultimately choose a non-music field for their
careers, many PYP musicians go on to have successful careers in music after their time with PYP ends.
Learn more about PYP, its community programs, and how to get involved by visiting portlandyouthphil.org.
PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC
Portland Youth Philharmonic is a vibrant community of over 250 young people who explore their passion for music and grow as individuals while making lifelong friendships. The orchestra’s tradition of excellence in education and performance dates to its founding in 1924. Hear PYP for yourself at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall or at any time on their popular YouTube channel.
DAVID HATTNER
David is only the fifth Musical Director in the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s 98-year history, and he is the first to be born in America. Former music critic for The Oregonian, David Stabler, commented that under Hattner’s baton the orchestra “Roared like a Maserati!”
Also a noted clarinetist, David Hattner has regularly been featured in recital on All Classical Portland’s Thursdays @ Three. He has appeared recently with Chamber Music Northwest. He served as the principal clarinetist of the Princeton Symphony, New Jersey Opera Theater, and the Cascade Festival of
Music. He has also played with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Oregon American, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras, as well as Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra.