A youth orchestra sparked by the Minnesota Orchestra's historic 2015 trip to Havana made its own debut in Cuba last week. Twenty-five young American musicians trekked to Havana to play with about 50 Cubans in the Cuban American Youth Orchestra (CAYO). Eleven members of the Minnesota Orchestra tagged along, mentoring the musicians, ages 18 to 24, as they rehearsed in the heat. They premiered two works by Cuban composers. They jammed, then jammed some more. "They didn't want to say goodbye at the end of the night," said Rena Kraut, CAYO's executive director. A clarinetist who was part of the 2015 tour, Kraut had envisioned dozens of young Cuban musicians traveling to the United States but current U.S. policy has made that impossible. Still, U.S. musicians could go to them. "It was incredible being able to meet and work with so many musicians — people who are just a joy to be around," said Alastair Witherspoon, a 22-year-old violinist from Minneapolis. On his trip home, he chatted via Facebook with the new friends he made. Kraut sees the Facebook posts as evidence that dozens more people from both countries are invested in this youth orchestra she dreamed up. "I'm very gratified that the organization ... belongs to so many more hearts and hands now."JENNA ROSS
A real-life prodigy
Yes, Huxley Westemeier is starring in a musical directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle. Yes, the musical also has its sights on Broadway. But he's not putting all his eggs in one basket. "August Rush" is playing in Aurora, Ill., through June 2, with Westemeier, 11, and another young actor playing the titular musical prodigy. Based on a 2007 movie that starred Keri Russell, "August Rush" is about a boy who is separated from his parents but believes he can find them if he follows a series of musical clues. Westemeier has appeared in Children's Theatre Company's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the Guthrie's "Watch on the Rhine" and the national tour of "School of Rock," but he says this role is the best fit yet. "I feel music the way August does," he said. "I'm a composer, so I feel connected to him." He hopes "August Rush" will get a Broadway berth this winter. But once "August" closes, Westemeier is planning a "normal" summer of biking, sailing and playing piano, with time set aside to work on "Lost in Thyme," a cooking-themed musical he's writing, inspired by his love of "The Great British Baking Show" and other kitchen competitions.
CHRIS HEWITT
'Runaway' redux
Proof that a good song and a good idea are timeless, Soul Asylum's 1993 megahit "Runaway Train" has been rerecorded by a trio of younger pop stars to spark a new campaign for finding missing youths. The noble effort mimics the successful M.O. of the original song's video. British singer Jamie N Commons, native Wisconsinite and Eminem protégé Skylar Grey and D.C. area "Doesn't Matter" singer Gallant took turns singing the verses and choruses in the remake of the Minneapolis band's song, recorded in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Just as in the original video, photos and names of real-life missing kids flash across the screen in the remake, which can be seen at runawaytrain25.com (so named to mark the 25th anniversary of the video). The approach proved quite effective when Soul Asylum did it: 21 of the 36 kids in the original Tony Kaye-directed video were found with help from the clip, one of MTV's top five most-played videos that year. "I wanted to do something that had impact in the real world, and it did," Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner said in a Billboard interview endorsing the new effort.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Peek into the workshop
Theater Latté Da will give audiences glimpses of three in-the-works musicals as part of its annual Next Festival, which kicks off July 6 and 8 with "Half the Sky." With book and lyrics by Isabella Dawis and music by Tidtaya Sinutoke, it mashes up contemporary pop with traditional Tibetan folk music in its story of a Thai-American woman determined to summit Mount Everest. "A Child's Christmas in Wales" draws on poet Dylan Thomas' remembrances of childhood holidays, blending them with new tunes by Mason Neely and singer/songwriter Cerys Matthews (July 13 and 15). The last of the three, "Twelve Angry Men," has already been announced as a full production for the Minneapolis theater next May. Adapted from Reginald Rose's classic drama about a deadlocked jury, it will feature music and lyrics by Michael Holland and a book by David Simpatico (July 20 and 22). See latteda.org for more info.C.H.
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