Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra to Present Virtual Concert

To celebrate the 250th birthday of Beethoven - and the resilience of its hundreds of young musicians (ages 8 - 18) through the pandemic - the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra will present the world-premiere of two, one-hour long Beethoven Festival virtual concerts on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.

"The dedication of these young musicians during a difficult year has been incredible," said Linda Edelstein, Executive Director of MYSO. "Their passion for music combined with the MYSO team's commitment to safely producing these shows, is remarkable."

The videos will premiere on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, on MYSO's YouTube channel (search "Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra") at:

• 7:00 pm -Beethoven Festival video, Part 1, featuring the following ensembles:

• Senior Symphony (Dvorak), Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven), Sinfonia, Wind Ensemble, Soca Steel Band, Rumba

• 8:30 pm -Beethoven Festival video, Part 2, featuring the following ensembles:

• Senior Symphony (Serenade and Beethoven), Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (Mendelssohn), Philharmonia, Chamber Flute Ensemble, String Orchestra, Progressions, Calypso Steel Band, Bronzeville Jazz Ensemble

Both virtual concerts demonstrate the depth and breadth of our more than 40 ensembles and enrichment programs, ranging from symphonies, string orchestras and wind ensembles to jazz and steel pan bands. The repertoire features Beethoven's music as well as works by composers influenced by Beethoven.

Carter Simmons, MYSO's Artistic Director, shares, "These concerts focus on the musicians who are the heart and soul of our work, and we are delighted to present their performances to our community in appreciation for their support in making our programs possible, especially during these challenging times."

For all MYSO's more than 800 young musicians, including high school seniors and 10-year members Abby Hanna and Neil Bausch, cellists with Senior Symphony, these virtual performances and the nine weeks of rehearsals in preparation provided them the opportunity to develop their social, emotional, cognitive, and musical skills in an arena that nurtures, challenges, and inspires them to become their very best, today and throughout their lives. Through their hard work and dedication, MYSO musicians learn essential life-skills including focus, discipline, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and more as they grow to become our community's leaders. These videos capture and celebrate that process.

MYSO thanks the outstanding team at z2 Marketing, led by Cory Zimmerman, for producing these virtual concerts and showcasing our impressive young musicians to our community.