One last hurrah before the curtain falls on Ben Loeb's El Paso experiment

What: EPSYOs Season Finale Concert, Benjamin Loeb, Conductor
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Plaza Theatre
How Much: $12 General Admission, $7 Senior/Military/Student Discount, children under 5 free; tickets are available at the door or online at www.epsyos.org

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On Sunday the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras will perform under the direction of Ben Loeb one last time before he steps down to start a new chapter in his life.

If you don’t know who Ben Loeb is or what EPSYOs are you must have been living under a rock. Love him or hate him, he has been a force behind these talented and truly exceptional artists. He sees the promise in each student and he, along with Lesley Chen, have taken this group from an idea to a large organization with multiple orchestras and conductors that have played world premiere pieces as well as traditional classics. The organization has received recognition from the National Endowments of the Arts as well as contributions from individuals outside of El Paso who have heard them perform and wanted to support these upcoming musicians. This group really shines for El Paso!

Ben Loeb and family decided to make El Paso their home four years ago. As an accomplished pianist and orchestra conductor he had a vision for El Paso. He saw the talent and the need for a Youth Orchestra in our city. He took that vision and presented it to the El Paso Symphony Board who enthusiastically agreed that it was something worth pursuing. During these past 4 years there has been amazing growth with the organization. As with all organizations there have been growing pains and with him stepping down we are feeling one now.

As a parent there is concern when it comes to change. You want what is best for your child and when you make a commitment you expect the same from an organization that is providing part of their musical education. This weekend there will be a committee interviewing candidates who are interested in trying to fill the shoes that Ben Loeb is leaving behind (they are large shoes for sure). Each candidate will have the opportunity to conduct each orchestra at a rehearsal on Friday night, attend a Q&A session on Saturday with the selection committee meeting on Saturday night to make the final decision. My hope as a parent is that Ben Loeb is a part of that decision making process. I find the job of conductor as elusive and foreign as he probably finds mine (being a mom). I don’t believe that anyone that is on the committee can make the same determination as to what qualifies as a good candidate as well as he can. It only makes sense to me that if he is stepping down he should be an integral part to make sure that this organization thrives and continues under new leadership.

This group is moving forward and I am certain that under the new leadership of Lesley Chen as Executive Director and the new Orchestra Director that it will continue to grow and have the high expectations and promise that has been shown in the past. I also know that El Pasoans will and attend and support these very talented musicians this Sunday. It is a group not to be missed!

While the baton is passed I must say (and I think I speak for many) “Thank you, Ben Loeb for all that you have given to my young musicians. You have provided an amazing opportunity for them and for all musicians in El Paso. You should be very proud of all that you have accomplished in such a short amount of time and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. We hope that you will guest conduct every once in awhile. And you will be missed……”