PACIFIC SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA KICKS OFF 2010-11 SEASON
BY WHISKING THE AUDIENCE OFF TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
FOR A CONCERT FEATURING MUSIC FROM “STAR WARS”!
Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings also begins its season
with a FREE concert featuring dance music at Concordia University
Pacific Symphony spotlights the awe-inspiring talent of some of Southern California’s finest young musicians—as two of three youth ensembles under the organization’s educational umbrella perform opening concerts for the 2010-11 season.
The Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra’s (PSYO) concert features the film music that sparked children’s interest in classical music as far back as its premiere in 1977: “Star Wars.” Led by Assistant Conductor Maxim Eshkenazy, PSYO tackles a challenging trio of selections from the iconic film, along with a lesser-known Bulgarian masterpiece, “Trakiisky Tanzi,” and Bernstein’s “Slava!”—on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
One week later, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings (PSSS), led by Irene Kroesen, begins its season with a free performance featuring charming dance music by Warlock, Tchaikovsky and Hofeldt, on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m., at the CU Center, Concordia University in Irvine.
Tickets for PSYO are $18 and $30; admission for PSSS is free. For more information, call the box office at (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
PSYO begins its concert with Bernstein’s exuberant “Slava!,” a political overture boasting brass timbres and non-stop momentum that was originally commissioned in 1977 to honor the world-renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich as music director of The National Symphony in Washington, D.C. Then, in tribute to Maestro Eshkenazy’s Bulgarian heritage, PSYO performs “Trakiisky Tanzi” (Thracian Dances), written by Bulgaria’s most beloved composer Petko Staynov.
As a nationalistic composer, Staynov mixes thematic material from Thracian folklore with classical instrumentation to create mixed meters and interesting modality that provide a challenge for the students.
“For the first concert, I wanted to bring some very sophisticated examples of American music, like ‘Slava!’ and ‘Star Wars,’ to accompany the Bulgarian work,” says Eshkenazy. “The students love Staynov’s piece! They really dig the music and they are playing it enthusiastically, welcoming the challenges of the different rhythms and characteristics. My goal is for PSYO to become a continually better ensemble and team. Right now we are at the pinnacle of our 18 years. We are the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra—and that’s a name, a task and a crown that we continually have to earn,” said Eshkenazy.
The concert’s finale is a trio of themes from “Star Wars,” including “Leia’s Theme” from “Episode IV: A New Hope,” “Imperial March”—better known as “Darth Vader’s Theme”—and “The Throne Room,” which plays with the film’s ending credits. The nature of the program highlights the wind section heavily and percussion uses a lot of toys, including a slide whistle, a steel pipe and a whip.
“The students love the ‘Star Wars’ music more than anything,” says Adrian Noack, manager of the Symphony’s Youth Ensembles. “We took a poll on Facebook to see which songs they wanted to perform the most—and of course ‘Imperial March’ was at the top. The fact that we have the talent to pull it off is amazing, but not at all surprising.”
“I really like the music from ‘Star Wars’ too—and so does the audience; it’s extremely well-known and loved,” adds Eshkenazy. “The music is also very difficult to play, with a lot of technical complexities—so there is a lot of educational value for our musicians in rehearsing this program.”
The Santiago Strings’ season gets off to a charming start with a concert that features dance music, as Kroesen leads the talented young string musicians, grades 6th through 9th, on a musical journey that begins with Warlock’s “Capriol Suite,” featuring six dances for strings.
Inspired by Renaissance dances of the 16th century, the music features themes ranging from a fast country brawl to a four-man sword fight. Next, Tchaikovsky’s Scherzo Pizzicato from his brilliant Symphony No. 4 offers a jaunty, joyful tune that is then followed by the offbeat timing of “Dance Parhelia” by Hofeldt.
This unique piece creates a musical representation of Parhelia, an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the sun refracts light through ice crystals found in high-altitude clouds creating a beam of light on either side of the sun and a beautiful halo effect.
“The talent of the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles is super high,” says Noack. “A lot of the students are beyond university level and are incredibly talented. I’m blown away by them and the audience will be, too.”
Together, the PSYO, PSSS and Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble (PSYWE) comprise the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles (PSYE). The mission of the PSYE is to provide young musicians with an ensemble experience marked by educational excellence through a unique relationship with Pacific Symphony.
The oldest of the three ensembles, PSYO, while led by Eshkenazy, also benefits from the artistic vision of the Symphony’s Music Director Carl St.Clair. The PSYO presents a popular three-concert subscription series in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, in addition to other community performances.
Members of the PSYO have the opportunity to rehearse, receive coaching sessions and perform “side-by-side” on a Family Musical Mornings series concert with the Symphony’s professional musicians. In addition, students receive free tickets to the Symphony’s concerts, exclusive access to rehearsals and enjoy opportunities to meet world-class guest artists.
PSSS members have an exceptional educational experience that combines instruction from outstanding music educators with the unique opportunities provided by the association with the Symphony. PSSS uses rotational seating at rehearsals so members are not assigned specific chairs within their sections—encouraging cooperation, not competition and helping students become stronger section players.
Pacific Symphony
3631 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 100
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Tickets for PSYO are $18 and $30; admission for PSSS is free. For more information, call the box office at (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
www.pacificsymphony.org
