American Youth Symphony to Host 57th Annual Gala

The American Youth Symphony, led by Music Director Carlos Izcaray, will celebrate its landmark 2021-22 season and the exceptional talent of its musicians at the 57th Annual Gala on Saturday, April 30th, 2022. The concert program begins at 5 p.m. and features John Adams' Short Ride on a Fast Machine, the world premiere of Alexander Mansour's Zephyr, and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. Concert-only pay-what-you-can tickets are available here.

Gala events also include a pre-concert reception at 3:30 p.m. at Royce Hall's outdoor terrace with specialty cocktails, wine, and hors d'oeuvres, and a post-concert dessert and coffee reception at 7 p.m. with Maestro Izcaray and AYS musicians, also on the terrace. For more information and to purchase reception packages, which include premium concert seats, please click here.

"This year's gala concert feels especially significant because it celebrates the close of a season that finally brought our musicians and audiences together after a long and challenging pandemic period," said Izcaray. "This would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of American Youth Symphony's staff, board members, and remarkable musicians. We are also very excited to perform the premiere of AYS Creative Fellow Alex Mansour's new work Zephyr, an exciting composition that beautifully showcases the orchestra."

Alexander Mansour is American Youth Symphony's principal cellist and the first recipient of AYS's Creative Fellowship, established by Izcaray in the 2021-22 season to offer the opportunity for an AYS musician to learn aspects of program curation and compose new works for AYS ensembles, all under Izcaray's mentorship.

Mansour's Zephyr is framed by two halves, "Before" and "After," where the orchestra whips up a frenzy in the former and then addresses the ramifications of its actions in the latter. It is a tone poem that explores mimesis, using both acoustic air effects as well as electronic tape playback in the hall. In "Before," a "call" motif begins the piece in three flutes. This statement is usually followed by a gust of air and pentatonic wind chimes. The music in this movement is propulsive, always gathering more and more energy, until the orchestra runs out of anywhere else to go. In 'After," the music is reverent, a bit broken, grieving from the prior cacophony. It is much more conversational, even political in debate. When the "call" motif returns, the ensemble deals with a returning gale, now better prepared.

"Zephyr is specific to the AYS musicians performing it," said Mansour. "I have been lucky to sit amongst the strings for several concerts during which my composing process was underway. It was always so inspiring to hear my colleagues; I'd return home from rehearsals and immediately open the piece to rewrite a part or to more prominently feature an instrument. Consequently, the piece is not unlike a concerto for orchestra, a showcase for my talented friends amongst the group. I am immensely grateful to Maestro Izcaray and AYS for commissioning the work."

The gala program opens with John Adams' Short Ride on a Fast Machine, a joyfully exuberant piece, brilliantly scored for a large orchestra. The program concludes with Mahler's expansively expressive Symphony No. 5, a story of life, death, and love beyond words, from tragedy to triumph.

To ensure everyone has access to quality music concerts, tickets for American Youth Symphony's 57th Annual Gala are pay-what-you-can. All tickets must be reserved in advance and are available here.

Gala benefit packages including the pre- and post-concert receptions are available here.

Reservations, seating assignments, and public health policies are subject to change. AYS must follow guidelines set by venues and public health agencies.

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