The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestras Present Their Winter Concert, 3/3

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestras (CSOYO) continue their 2013-2014 season on March 3 at 7:30pm at Brainerd Baptist Church with a concert performed by the Symphony Orchestra with Gary Wilkes conducting, featuring selections from The Planets by Gustav Holst. The massive work by Gustav Holst includes movements for each of the planets in our solar system. Movements to be performed in this concert include "Mars", "Venus", and "Jupiter". This music, familiar to many people, was the direct inspiration for John Williams as he wrote the score for the Star Wars movies.

The CSOYO Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sandy Morris, will open the concert with a variety of delightful works, from J. S. Bach to Russian Sailors' Dance by Gli're. Also featured on the program are the runner-ups (tied) for the 2013 CSOYO Concerto Competition: Chandler Custer and Justin Smith.

CSOYO Fall Concert

Monday, March 3, 2014 at 7:30pm

Brainerd Baptist Church

Sandy Morris, conductor, CSOYO Philharmonic Orchestra

Gary Wilkes, conductor, CSOYO Symphony Orchestra

This will be a "penny performance". All children and students accompanied by a (paying) adult may attend for one penny each. Regular admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children, students, and seniors. Call 423.267.9011 for more information.

About Justin Smith

Justin Smith is a senior at Heritage High School where Blair Callaway is the Band Director. He studies privately with Robert Burks, Principal Oboist with the CSO Orchestra. Justin has served as co-principal and associate principal oboist for the Georgia All-State Orchestra and principal oboist for the Lee University Honor Band. This past summer he was selected to take part in the Summer Oboe Institute at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. During that same summer he attended the University of Georgia's Music Institute where he played in the top wind ensemble. Justin was also selected to participate in the National Association of Music Educators Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Miriam Burns (Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic). He hopes to further his musical career in a major conservatory and work toward a doctor's degree in performance. His goal is to play oboe with major symphony orchestras here and abroad.

About Chandler Custer

Chandler Custer is a senior at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. He has studied violin privately with Stephen Panchaud (deceased) and Xiaoqing Yu, Professor of Music at Lee University. Chandler has performed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's University Orchestra, and with the Tennessee All-State Orchestra. He has won many awards for his violin playing, including a gold medal in Classical Instrumental Music at the local NAACP ACT-SO Competition. Chandler was recently featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press as an outstanding young area musician and has performed on numerous radio and television programs. In addition to being a dedicated musician, he is the top tennis player for the CSAS tennis team. Chandler volunteers with the Joe Johnson Tennis Foundation, and has helped instill music appreciation with young musicians at the UTC Strings Project and Orchard Knob Elementary School. He plans to major in music performance and become an orthodontist.

CSO Mission

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera produces a variety of exemplary live musical performances of symphony, opera and pops for a variety of audiences: orchestral music lovers as well as non-traditional and emerging audiences, including school students. In so doing, the CSO contributes to the education of our children, supports the regional economy, reinforces the cultural fabric of the community and enhances our overall quality of life.