Siblings Return to MYS Summer Camp
Justin is a cellist in the MYS Symphony Orchestra and will be an 11th grade PSEO student at University of Northwestern. He studies with Rebeccah Parker Downs. June is a violinist in the MYS Repertory Orchestra and will be a 10th grader at Great Oaks Academy. She studies with Sylvia del Real.
For siblings Justin and June, their first experience playing in a large orchestra came at MYS Summer String Camp, each after their sixth grade year. Fast-forward to last week, and both musicians were performing in the MYS Beethoven Chamber Orchestra—bringing their summer music-making with MYS full circle. Justin’s musical journey started with piano lessons in first grade, but when his school offered students the choice to begin a string instrument in second grade or wait until fourth grade for brass, he already knew what he wanted. “I wasn’t interested in brass music, and I liked the cello more because it wasn’t as squeaky [as the violin],” he jokes. June, meanwhile, shared her family’s love of bluegrass music and had been asking to play violin for years. “I would play air fiddle when I was little,” she recalls as Justin chuckles. She still remembers the exact date of her very first violin lesson—it was on her eighth birthday.
When Justin attended his first MYS Summer Camp in 2022, he immediately discovered the excitement of making music in a large group of young musicians. “I don’t think I’d ever played in a string ensemble that was so big before,” he reflects. “It was fun to be around string players my age, just playing fun music and sight reading through it.” June was eager for that experience, too, but a broken wrist delayed her camp debut until the next year.
The following summer, the siblings attended camp together and caught the attention of “Miss Pat” [Kelly], who encouraged them to join MYS for the school year. It would take a few more years before the duo returned to MYS, but eventually Justin decided to audition for Repertory Orchestra for the third trimester of his ninth-grade year, just to see what the experience was like. He quickly found his place. “It was a great fit and I really enjoyed it,” he says. “Everybody was really attentive, and you could tell they practiced and made an effort to play well.” June remained a little hesitant about MYS. Between soccer and a busy schedule, she wasn’t sure about making the commitment. But after watching Justin’s positive experience that spring, she decided to give it a try. “I really wanted to get orchestra experience,” she explains. “It’s really good for learning different things that you don’t really get in solo repertoire.”
While Justin and June share a love of music, their approaches to playing and practicing reveal two very different musicians. Justin describes June as someone who naturally reaches for her violin. Her practice style is more spontaneous, but with a structure that motivates her: “I like to reward myself with a fiddle tune when I'm done practicing.” Justin, on the other hand, has learned to be more intentional about his practice time. “Practicing is not my favorite thing,” he admits. “Scheduling shorter chunks of practice time really helps because it’s not everything all at once.” Their individual personalities show up in the types of repertoire they love, too. Justin gravitates toward slower, lyrical pieces, while June is drawn to fast, energetic music.
That contrast extends beyond classical music. June’s passion for fiddle music has grown alongside her violin skills, and she has become one of the top young fiddlers in the state, earning recognition at events including the Cannon Falls and Dakota County Fair Fiddle Contests, Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Championships, and Minnesota State Fiddlers Association Fiddle Showcase. While her private teacher Sylvia del Real provides guidance, June’s competition preparation is mostly independent—choosing the tunes, working with a metronome, building speed, and memorizing. Justin’s musical creativity takes a decidedly different and more modern direction. After getting his first computer in eighth grade, he discovered electronic music production software and began composing using a program called FL Studio. Rather than developing his ideas using traditional music notation, he creates his music directly through sound. “It started as something I did for fun, but about a year later I started taking it really seriously because this is what I really enjoy doing.” His compositions have already reached a wider audience: Justin had the privilege of composing all the music for a recent production of The Somewhat True Tale of Robinhood, including a theme for June, who played Lady Marion
As members of the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra this past week, Justin and June appreciated how the camp experience went beyond just performing the music. Through director Mark Mandarano’s daily lessons, participants explored connections between the composer’s life and his music. “I really enjoyed getting to play Beethoven chamber music and learning more about Beethoven’s life,” Justin shares. June found that understanding the person behind the music influenced her approach: “It was interesting to learn about the person who wrote the music—it was easier to connect with the piece.” From their first days at MYS Summer String Camp to performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Justin and June’s story shows how one summer music experience can have a lasting impact. Though their musical journeys have grown in different directions, this summer brought them full circle—back together in an MYS orchestra, sharing the experience of making music side by side.
