Student gets taste of music as life's endeavor

July 18, 2008 01:30 pm

— BY BRENDA SZELONG
TRIBDEM@TRIBDEM.COM
Imagine catching a glimpse of your dream career before entering your senior year in high school.
Matt Ross, 17, got to do that on a recent trip to China, where he was on tour with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra.
A viola player, Ross spent 14 days in the Orient with the youth orchestra and was part of four major concerts, in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hong Kong.
He also participated in exchange concerts in Suzhou, Wuzhen and Shenzhen as well as a joint performance with the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra and Music Office Youth Choir in Hong Kong.
Ross, son of Dr. Richard and Judy Ross of Johnstown, started playing the viola when he was in the fifth grade. He will be a senior when classes resume at Richland High School this fall.
“I played the piano before the viola, but really discovered my love for music when I was selected for first chair at districts (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District Orchestra) when I was a sophomore.”
Ross hopes to make music his life’s work.
“After high school, I hope to study at a music conservatory in either Ohio, Pennsylvania or New York and then go on to graduate school. After that, I want to join a prestigious symphony.”
At friends’ urging, Ross decided to audition for PYSO.
That one audition secured his spot with the group. With the support of his parents, he set in motion the events that would lead to a trip of a lifetime.
Ross and his mother were part of a group of 150 travelers (about 90 of whom were PYSO musicians), who made the June trek eastward.
But they didn’t see much of each other during the two-week excursion.
“We flew together there and back, but were in different groups once we got into China,” Judy Ross said.
“PYSO asked the parents who went along as chaperones if there was a need for parent and child to be together. They have found that it works better for parents and children to be in separate groups.”
Mother and son were enthralled with seeing another culture.
“I’ve never been out of the United States,” Matt Ross said.
“This trip made me realize that we’re not the only humans on the planet. When I walked up and down the Great Wall, I said, ‘Wow! I’m in China.’
“There was so much to learn and see,” he continued. “The Chinese don’t like the number four, much like we don’t like the number 13, but they hold the number eight in high regard. You will pay more for a hotel room with the number eight in it. “
Judy Ross noted the disparity within the cities.
“We stayed in four-star hotels, but we could see slums and poverty right outside the window. However, the crime rate is low there. We visited a park and saw that the women hung their purses on a tree while they were enjoying the park activities.”
Chinese cuisine caught both travelers off guard.
“The food was extreme,” Matt Ross said. “I felt very ‘at home’ when I went to Starbucks, but I couldn’t say that about the other so-called American restaurants. They served fish at the KFC franchise and put crayfish in the McMuffins.”
His mother added that when they were served chicken in a local restaurant, it came complete with head, tail and feet.
While the concerts and culture were enough to make this a once-in-a-lifetime trip for anyone, for Matt Ross, it was a peek into his future.
“Touring is part of what’s involved in being in a professional symphony, and being in a symphony is what I want to do with my life.”

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