The Youth Orchestra of Lewiston-Auburn, a new organization dedicated to enriching young people’s lives with music, invites intermediate string students in the local area to its first rehearsal on Monday, Sept. 12.

Linda Vaillancourt of Lewiston will conduct the fledging group, which will hold weekly rehearsals and perform a fall and a spring concert for the public.

“I think it’s great because kids in this area won’t have to travel so far to be involved with music,” said violin student and high-school freshman Ryan Spooner of Sabattus.

Spooner plays violin in the Portland Youth Junior Orchestra and until recently played in the Coastal Youth Chamber Orchestra in Topsham.

“It’s a lot more fun to play with a group,” Spooner said. “It’s kind of boring playing alone. It’s more interesting if you throw a bunch of different instruments and different parts together.”

“Some schools in the area have string programs, which are fabulous. But many schools do not,” said Vaillancourt, who earned a master’s degree in viola performance from the University of Maine, teaches orchestra at Lewiston High School and North Yarmouth Academy, and is a music teacher at l’Ecole Française du Maine in Freeport.

“Our hope is to offer an experience that will complement what already exists in schools by providing an additional opportunity, but one that will give sting players without a school program an outlet for their music as well,” she said.

For many years, Vaillancourt has been orchestra manager for the Maine All-State Orchestra, and has conducted at the Maine String Teachers and Performers Association’s Statewide String Festival. She has also been a judge and a manager in district and state student festivals.

Approached by local parents earlier this summer, Vaillancourt agreed to take on the conductor role for the new group.

“There are many reasons why I think music is so important for young people,” Vaillancourt said. “Besides the academic and cognitive benefits and improving musical skills, orchestra is an incredible form of teamwork. Sports are what usually come to mind with that word, but orchestra is the same way. You have one end-result in mind and for that result to happen, every member has to work in sync.”

Vaillancourt added that orchestra can also be fun socially for students by giving them a chance to share similar interests and get to know peers from other schools.

YOLA is in the process of becoming incorporated as a nonprofit group and expects to operate on a shoestring budget the first year. Student musicians will be asked to pay a $75 participation fee each semester, with funds going toward music purchases, a conductor’s fee, and start-up costs. Any individual or business wanting to support YOLA may email orchestra manager Emily Tuttle at [email protected]. A few businesses have offered to sponsor scholarships for young musicians who, otherwise, wouldn’t be able to participate.

The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston is donating space for YOLA rehearsals. The Pathway Vineyard Church in Lewiston is providing performance space for YOLA’s two concerts in exchange for a donation. Admission to both public performances will be donations paid at the door.

Because YOLA is starting the day after Sept. 11, selections for the first concert will be a tribute to America. The program will include “America” from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and “Old American Songs,” a multimovement suite by Aaron Copeland.

“We hope to have a blend of genres,” Vaillancourt said. “With time, we would like to include wind, brass and percussion for a full ensemble. But for now, we’ll draw on string orchestra literature, which certainly includes classical music. Perhaps we’ll play some from Broadway, and popular music is possible as well. A lot will depend on the group’s interest.”

YOLA is open to any string musician with at least three years of experience (or equivalent.) Any interested player is invited to attend the first rehearsal on Sept. 12 at the basilica, 122 Ash St., Lewiston. Rehearsal will go from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with a parent information session at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/yolamaine/.