 A Week in April 1962  Excerpt from Orchestra News, September 1962
The year 1962 marked a historical highlight in the lives of 102 teen-aged musicians and their dynamic conductor, Prof. Marvin Rabin of Boston University. They are members of the Greater Boston Youth Orchestra who braved wind and cold during their spring vacation to present a concert on the White House lawn for the Kennedys and 700 guests. From there, they completed a 5-day musical tour with a second triumph at Carnegie Hall, hailed by New York Times critic, Alan Rich, who said, “The orchestra, composed of 102 players from junior high and high schools in the Boston area, made some fine sounds. Its polish could shame many professional orchestras; its zest should shame them all. Mr. Rabin's skilled beat drew fine and poised sounds from his group, and showed considerable depth of insight."
 White House
In its fourth year of existence, the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra was honored with an invitation from President and Mrs. Kennedy to perform at the White House.
Joseph Weisberg, of Boston's Jewish Advocate, wrote of the honor, “[The Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra's] appeal is not confined to youth, however; it has won the plaudits of top-flight critics of leading papers and periodicals. It was, in fact, as a result of highly laudatory reviews, which came to the attention of Mrs. John F. Kennedy, wife of the President, that the invitation to Washington was extended" (April 26, 1962). In an effort to showcase the talent of the nation's youth,  Mrs. Kennedy invited the orchestra so that, as she told a Boston Herald reporter, "We are hopeful that this concert will stimulate interest of children in music throughout the nation and will encourage young people to form musical groups"(Orchestra News, September 1962).
The orchestra performed works by Bach, Copland, Stravinsky, Dvorák and highlighted a premiere of a new work, Tenso: Afternoon Music for Orchestra, especially written for the occasion by a 24-year-old Boston University alumnus, Stanley Silverman
View Thank You Note From Mrs. Kennedy
 Listen to White House Performance of Dvorak's Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.95
View White House Program Book
Carnegie Hall
Following the success of the White House concert earlier in the week, the orchestra headed north to Carnegie Hall for an afternoon performance on April 19, 1962. This was BYSO's second performance in the famed hall, its debut came a year prior on April 23, 1961.
This 1962 concert was a “Salute to UNICEF" co-sponsored by Seventeen Magazine and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF. It was broadcast coast-to-coast by the ABC radio network.
 "When orchestra arrived for rehearsal, they had to wait a while, because another orchestra was still using the stage—but waiting for Leonard Bernstein and the Philharmonic was not disagreeable, and some even managed to get an autograph or two." (Orchestra News September 1962) As for the GBYSO performance, “when the time came, under (Dr. Rabin's) brilliant direction, they turned in the best performance of their lives. Called to stand for applause again and again, they knew they had proved themselves..."
(Orchestra News, September 1962.)
View Carnegie Hall Program |