Welcome to August!

Festival season is in full swing, and I continue to be delighted by discovering all of the talent that abounds in the Pocono region.

Last month, I alluded to a brand new undertaking at Pocono Arts Council slated for September 29 & 30. [UPDATE: The Open Studio Tour has been rescheduled for April 27-28, 2019.] I am pleased to introduce the Pocono Mountains of Art – Open Studio Tour. This will be a self-guided tour of select Pocono Arts Council members’ studios where visitors can see how artists create their handmade art and fine crafts and have the opportunity to make purchases in a relaxed setting. Any willing Pocono Arts Council artist member with a studio is able to be included on the map for a small entrance fee. Please contact the council office, if you’re interested, and we’ll be sure you receive an application. Details and further information is available in the body of the newsletter.

Also, here is another interesting opportunity for our members to explore: The Dunning Art Gallery at Northampton Community College has unveiled the fall theme, and the Pocono Arts Council has been invited to choose 10 pieces for submission in the RescueDog Exhibit which opens in September. More information is included under the Opportunities section at the back of the newsletter.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable summer season, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to promote the arts throughout the rest of my first year as your new director.

Sue Randall
Executive Director
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Pocono Youth Orchestra Welcomes New Director

The Pocono Youth Orchestra (PYO) welcomes new director, Joseph Choi. Concurrently, Choi also serves as conductor of Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra, Leesburg, Va., orchestra director with Grace Academy, Hagerstown, Md., and is working on finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in orchestral conducting at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, Winchester, Va.

He is music director of Calvary United Methodist Church in Mt. Airy, Md. and artistic director and conductor of the Maryland Chamber Orchestra. Originally from South Korea, he has lived in the U.S. for more than 31 years. Along with his wife Angela, and their son Nathaniel, he resides in Falling Waters, W.V.

The PYO is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1987 by parents of young musicians, with the vision that their children would play together in a musical ensemble and provide them with a valuable educational and cultural outlet. For more information, visit www.pocono-youthorchestra.org.