Late last year, members of the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra got a chance to do something usually left for rock stars and professional orchestras - they made a record. Youth orchestras are unlike professional orchestras in that youth orchestras see a faster turnover of members, Gardner said.
Young players join, develop and hone their skills, and then move on.
With that in mind Gardner said the idea for a recording by the NSYO began in 1993. I knew I was in a cycle that was going to produce a very strong youth orchestra probably in 1995 in the spring. Back then the NSYO was also working up to a tour of England and Wales for early 1994, a period of intense playing and rehearsal that Gardner decided to capitalize on for the purposes of a recording. But deciding to do a CD is one thing, doing it right is another, Gardner said. When I set out the CD I wanted it to be a product of quality, of really high quality that everybody could be proud of, the people who listen to it and us who were involved.