Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra to Open 2019/2020 Season on Sunday, December 15

The Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra will open their 2019/2020 season on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at the Perelman Theater at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Maestra Rosalind Erwin, PYAO conductor, will lead this talented young orchestra in a program of music taken from the Romantic period lexicon of orchestral music.

The concert will open with Gioachino Rossini's Overture to William Tell, followed by Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and will conclude with Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky's epic Symphony No. 4 in F minor.

Maestra Erwin greatly anticipates the opening concert of this year's PYAO. She said, "Once again, I am amazed by the depth of understanding and sophistication these young musicians bring to their performances, and the first concert of this year's PYAO will be no exception. It is personally energizing and extremely satisfying to work with these talented and intelligent young people. I invite all family members, friends and other supporters to come celebrate this concert with us!"

To purchase tickets, contact Ticket Philadelphia at 215-893-1999. Ticket prices range from $10-$20.

Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, PYO's companion orchestra, prepares younger classical music students through a sophisticated repertoire and rigorous intellectual and musical discipline. PYAO further provides the opportunity to work with a highly experienced professional conductor, musicians, and teachers; to rehearse a standard orchestral repertoire at a professional level; and to perform in high-profile professional venues throughout the greater Philadelphia region. For nearly 20 years, PYAO has raised funds through performances to support organizations from throughout the region, including Reach Out and Read at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Youth Work Foundation of The Union League of Philadelphia. PYAO, conducted by Rosalind Erwin, was established in 1996 under a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Now in its 80th year of training tomorrow's leaders, the renowned Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs, providing talented young musicians from across the tri-state area with exceptional musical training. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, and it is with pride that Philadelphia Youth Orchestra notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni. For more information, please visit www.pyos.org.

The anchor group is the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 120 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. Young musicians 12-18 years old are featured in PYO's companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin, who is Music Director and Conductor of Drexel University Orchestra. Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), directed by Maestro Kenneth Bean, is a beginning to intermediate-level full symphonic orchestra that provides most students with their first introduction to large orchestral playing featuring students age 10-17 years old. Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute Dean of Faculty and Students, Paul Bryan, is an all brass ensemble for promising middle and high-school instrumentalists. PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artists ensembles provide string large ensemble and sectional master class instruction for beginning and intermediate musicians ages 6-14. The director and conductor of PRYSM is Gloria DePasquale, cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and conductor of PRYSM Young Artists is Andrea Weber. Tune Up Philly (TUP) is PYO's engagement program, directed by Paul Smith, that focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under-resourced communities with invaluable opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum.