Paul Smith News

The students of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) organization continue to stand out for their talent.  All eight finalists, and the first place winner, of the 2018 School District of Philadelphia's All-City Concerto Competition are current PYO members. The School District of Philadelphia's All-City Music Program, consisting of a full symphonic orchestra, concert band, and choir, is audition based and includes the top performing student musicians within The School District of Philadelphia. 

The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) is one of the most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs in the United States, and on Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 3 p.m., all the student musicians will share the stage in the annual PYO SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE.

Sundog Theatre is proud to announce the six plays and creative team for Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry 2018, to be presented April 14-22 at New Dorp Moravian Church Theatre.

Great comedy, music, theatre, and family entertainment all combine to make the Epstein Theatre the only place to be this March.

The talented members of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's Bravo Bass ensemble will present a concert titled "Bach on Brass" on Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark's Church in Center City Philadelphia. St. Mark's is located at 1625 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at the new Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy is a moving experience that does justice to the meaningful source material and exquisite score.

The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), under the direction of Maestro Louis Scaglione, will perform its second concert of the season in Verizon Hall of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, February 25th, at 3 p.m., 300 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia. The orchestra, consisting of student musicians between the ages of 14 -21, will perform three substantial works from the professional symphonic repertoire:  Brahms' Third Symphony, Stravinsky's Petrushka and Ravel's La Valse.

Music teachers make a tremendous impact on the lives of their students and, for the fifth year, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and several partners search for an outstanding and inspirational teacher to honor with the PYO Ovation Award. Nominators who are current or former students and of any age, submit a 250-word statement about "the music teacher who changed my life." The PYO Ovation Award is endowed by H.E.L.P. Foundation and sponsored by Jacobs Music Company, J.W. Pepper and WRTI-90.1 FM.

On Sunday, February 18 at 3 p.m. the talented musicians of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO), a division of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), will present a concert in the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, located at Broad and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets for this event are $10-$20 and can be purchased by calling at (215) 893-1999.

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) presents the talented string musicians of PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM-YA (PRYSM Young Artists) on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 3 p.m. in Centennial Hall of the Haverford School in Haverford, PA. General admission tickets are $15, free for children under age 18. For information, call (215) 545-0502.

Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten, running now at the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC, is all about struggle.

In politics, the less you know, the higher you'll go! At once a razor-sharp satire and an inspirational tribute to democracy, The Outsider is a timely and hilarious send-up of modern American politics, written by Paul Smith and directed by David Esbjornson.

Earlier this week, one of the theatre community's most beloved podcasts, 'The Hamilcast' celebrated two years of episodes. En route to becoming 'the official unofficial podcast of HAMILTON,' the show's creator, host, and producer Gillian Pensavalle has released more than 100 episodes, which include conversations with many of the show's performers and creators, in-depth discussions of the Ron Chernow biography that inspired the musical, and an epic, four-part October sit-down with creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, appropriately dubbed #Lintoberfest.

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), is proud to present the talented string musicians of PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM-YA (PRYSM Young Artists) on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 3 p.m. in Centennial Hall of the Haverford School in Haverford, PA. General admission tickets are $15, free for children under age 18. For information, call (215) 545-0502.

British ensemble VOCES8 takes a cappella singing to a new level. Called impeccable (Gramophone) and slickest of the lot (BBC Radio 3), the 8-voice ensemble performs everything from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary commissions.

Tune Up Philly (TUP), the community engagement program of Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), directed by Paul Smith, presents its first concert of the season on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 1 p.m. The young musicians will celebrate traditional dances and folk melodies in this program. This unique opportunity brings together art and culture to showcase the student's talents. The show will take place at The Temple Performing Arts Center, located at 1837 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. This is a free event. For more information, please call 215-545-0502.

The talented students of The Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO) perform classical works conducted by their director, Kenneth Bean. The concert will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 4 p.m. at The Temple Performing Arts Center, located at 1837 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia. PYMO will present a mix of classical music, Mozart's Overture to Don Giovanni, Faure's Pavane, Brahms' Hungarian Dances Nos. 3 & 5, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21. This is a free event. For more information, please call 215-545-0502.

Staten Island's Sundog Theatre has announced its 2017-2018 Season: A Christmas Carol, The Originals: Radio Play Readings, Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry and the musical, Baby.