YES Prep West Students Join Mercury Musicians for Side-by-Side Concert Tonight

In celebration of a year of wonderful teaching, sharing and learning, Mercury musicians and 165 YES Prep West students are hosting a concert at Wortham Center's Cullen Theater tonight, May 7th at 6:30pm.

The evening includes performances by YES Prep's 6th through 8th grade orchestras and a Side-by-Side performance of YES Prep's High School orchestra with Mercury musicians under the baton of Artistic Director Antoine Plante. Mercury will also accompany concerto competition winners Gloria Pacheco, junior violinist, performing Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor RV 356, Movement 3, and Newton Huynh, 8th grade cellist, performing Scherzo by Weber.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.mercuryhouston.org or call 713.533.0080.

Led by Mercury violinist and Education Manager, Andrés González, and YES Prep Orchestra Director, Tim Maynard, with leadership funding from Mark and Debra Gregg and Kiwi Energy, Mercury musicians are in residency on the YES Prep West campus four times a week, offering private lessons to 65 students as well as team-teaching with YES Prep educators in music classes and coaching chamber ensembles and after-school orchestra rehearsals. Being surrounded by supportive educators and high-caliber musicians fosters a sense of exploration and a desire for personal growth. As one teacher recently commented, "One of the things I was most proud of seeing was the eagerness of the students to get their practice time in during their lunch break!"

Since Mercury first partnered with YES Prep in 2011, the program has thrived and continues to change lives, providing at-risk youth access to world-class instruction, performance opportunities, and helping students to develop life skills like leadership, team work, collaboration and self-expression.

González's position is sponsored by Rose Ann Medlin and William E Joor, III and further support of the YES Prep program is provided by Marcia and Tom Faschingbauer, Chong Yi & Faranak Kamali, the Herzstein Foundation, the Kinder Morgan Foundation, the McNair Foundation, the Simmons Foundation and many guests of our annual gala.

Founded in 2000, Mercury has a mission to serve the community by celebrating the power of music, Baroque and beyond, teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence. The orchestra offers performances of a broad repertoire of music on period instruments and has garnered critical acclaim around the world through innovative and accessible performances, domestic and international tours, and groundbreaking music education programs.

What makes a Mercury performance unique? Mercury musicians perform on period instruments similar in style and sound to those used by composers of the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods. Differences between modern and period instruments can be seen in the string section where players use gut rather than steel strings and often utilize a Baroque bow that is shorter and more curved than a modern bow. Brass instruments have no valves and are more modest in shape than their modern equivalents, and the timpani drums utilize leather skins rather than synthetic heads. Perhaps the most recognizable differences can be seen in the woodwind section; these instruments have less keys and are actually crafted from wood as opposed to metal or plastic like many modern instruments. Mercury chooses to perform with period instruments to create a distinctive and exciting sound, true to the composer's intent. Mercury musicians also perform standing to better express the passion and vitality of the music. All of this provides a singular listening experience for our audience.

For fifteen years, YES Prep Public Schools has redefined what is possible in public education. With more than 8,000 college-bound students across 13 campuses, we are a system of high-performing public charter schools, proving that students from low-income communities can achieve at the highest academic levels. The majority of YES Prep students are low income, Hispanic or African American, first generation college goers, and, on average, at least one grade level behind in Math and Reading when they enroll. Despite these challenges, all students graduate from YES Prep prepared to succeed in college and YES Prep students are shattering the status quo in education with state assessment scores, Advanced Placement (AP) passing rates, and college graduation numbers that are far higher than the national averages.

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