Ryan Cooper is an 18-year-old senior at Gorham High School who plays percussion in both the Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra and Portland Youth Wind Ensemble. He is the only Gorham student to play in both ensembles this year and has been playing instruments in the Gorham schools since fourth grade.

Ryan will be attending USM in the fall and although he will not be majoring in music, he intends to be active in the music program, and to play music recreationally and in ensembles as he gets older.

In addition to playing in the youth ensembles at USM, and the concert band and jazz band at GHS, Ryan is also active in the Eco Club and volunteering through the Interact Club. He also manages to have time to listen and play music, play guitar and drums, hang with friends, run, and collect records.

There have been many remarkable conductors and teachers who have encouraged Ryan through the years, but he is particularly grateful to Mr. Ebersol, who was the band director at GHS for his first three years. Mr. Ebersol encouraged him to audition for the ensembles. The Osher School of Music Youth Ensembles have meant a great deal to Ryan. They are a great way to make connections and new friends who share a love of music. His favorite part of the ensemble experience was performing twice each year in Merrill Auditorium in Portland.

Ryan describes the concert experience this way: “You work relentlessly and practice constantly all semester to get your pieces to sound amazing, and then at the very end of the semester, you get to go out on stage in a truly gorgeous hall and perform for all your friends and family. Standing where the professionals in the Portland Symphony Orchestra perform and hearing the phenomenal music you’re making reverberating off the walls is a truly magical experience unlike anything I have done before. I am so grateful to the Youth Ensembles for giving me that experience.”

The Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra performed a “side by side” concert with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Ryan says, “It was an incredible experience, unlike anything I had ever done, and I truly loved the opportunity to play along with professional musicians.”

Six other Gorham students performed in one of the youth ensembles in the April 24 concert including Gabriel Badeau, Dylan Bauer, and Rory Pigeon in the Portland Youth Wind Ensemble, Raya Babinsky in the Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra, Tristan Smith in the Portland Youth Junior Orchestra, and Rebecca Newmann with the Portland Young Peoples String Consort.

The Osher School of Music is holding auditions for the Youth Ensembles this month. For more information, visit usm.maine.edu/osher-school-music/youth.