FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie English, 267-974-1250
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra to Perform at The Kimmel Center on February 20
More than 100 young, gifted, classical music students from the Tri-State region will perform under the direction of Maestro Louis Scaglione in Verizon Hall
Philadelphia, PA – February 15, 2011. (Download PDF) Maestro Louis Scaglione, President and Music Director of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) today announced a concert on Sunday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The young musicians involved in the 71st season of one of the nation's oldest youth orchestras will perform Brahms' Symphony No. 4 and Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 – "Organ Symphony" with Michael Stairs on organ and conducted by Maestro Scaglione.
“The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's annual concerts at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts are a highlight of each season for the students and audience, alike,” said Maestro Louis Scaglione, the President and Music Director of PYO. “The talented young musicians in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra will undertake ambitious works with the exceptional collaboration of organist Michael Stairs. Our audience is always amazed at the skill and passion of the Tri-State region's bright young talents and we encourage the general public to join us on February 20 for an incredible concert."
There are 106 young musicians in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, who are selected by competitive audition annually in late summer and rehearse each week from September through June. The 2010/2011 Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization’s season commenced on December 4, 2010 and will run through late spring 2011, offering twenty concerts to the Greater Philadelphia region. For a full schedule of performances from all of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's programs, please visit www.pyos.org.
Michael Stairs is organist for The Philadelphia Orchestra, after earning his Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and Artist's Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. A much sought-after recitalist and educational consultant, Mr. Stairs has made numerous recordings, including several on the famed Longwood Gardens Organ.
Tickets for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra concert on February 20 are $20 to $30 per person. For more information or to order tickets, please call 215-893-1999.
About the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra: Founded in 1939, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra is one of the nation’s oldest classical music training and orchestra performance programs for gifted and talented students from the Tri-State region. Lead by Maestro Louis Scaglione, PYO’s companion ensembles include the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO), formed in 1996; Bravo Brass, added to the program in 2003; Philadelphia Region Youth String Music (PRYSM) created in 2007; and the Musicopia String Orchestra partnership, which began in 2008. Young musicians from ages six through 21 are selected by competition audition and have represented the United States on five continents. The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) offers classical musical performances to the Greater Philadelphia region each year and supports musical education to children from Philadelphia’s more challenging neighborhoods through its newest after-school program launched in 2010, Tune Up Philly.
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