RPYO Closes Out 40th Anniversary Season with “Twentieth Century Symphonic Masterworks”

Some of the area’s most talented young musicians will be featured this weekend as the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra takes the stage under the direction of David Harman, May 15 at 3:00 pm in Hale Auditorium at Roberts Wesleyan College.

The Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is comprised of more than one hundred students, grades eight through twelve, from over thirty schools in the greater Rochester area. Now in its 40th season, the RPYO has fostered generations of young musicians, many of whom have gone on to pursue careers in music. “Our students have enormous talent and passion for music and incredible drive,” said Harman, who has been music director since 1993. “Wherever they perform, they astound audiences time and time again. Throughout this season, we have been celebrating them and the nearly 1,500 young musicians who have been part of this important cultural institution over the last 40 years.”

Each year, the RPYO presents three full programs of major symphonic works. For their final concert of the 2010-11 season, the RPYO will perform Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis and Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2. In addition, several musicians will get the opportunity to perform solo concertos, accompanied by the rest of the orchestra, as winners of the RPYO’s annual Concerto Competition.

This year’s Concerto Competition winners are: violinist Clare Grieve, a senior at Fairport High School; violist Rachel Haynes, a senior at Penfield High School; cellist Samantha Merrill, a senior at Brighton High School; and percussionist Matthew Parris, a senior at Charles Finney High School in Penfield. They will perform concertos by Bloch, Bruch, Hindemith, and Rosauro.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Click here to purchase tickets online, or call the RPO Box Office at 454-2100, or the RPYO at 454-7311 x224. Tickets also will be available at the door.