Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble Marches Forward To End The 2017-18 Season On A Patriotic Note

The young wind musicians of Pacific Symphony have been blowing up a storm lately. Since last season's milestone 10th anniversary, which culminated in a triumphant European Tour, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble (PSYWE)-wind and percussion students in grades 8 through 12-has continued to knock its audience off its feet with exciting and diverse programs performed with awe-inspiring talent. After opening the 2017-18 season with John Philip Sousa's march for the inauguration of President Garfield, PSYWE closes with another piece by the American march king, composed for the same president's funeral. The program also includes such gems as "Variations on America" by Charles Ives and a Suite of "Old American Dances" by Robert Russell Bennett.

For the concert, "Americana," led by Dr. Gregory X. Whitmore, PSYWE takes its audience on a journey of American works-composed between the late 19th-century and now-on Sunday, May 20, at 1 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Thanks to generous sponsors, this season's concerts are free to attend, but tickets are required. To reserve a general admission seat, call the Symphony's box office at (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

"PSYWE's past season has been terrific," enthuses Maestro Whitmore. "Coming off of our 10th anniversary and Austria tour, one of the principle goals was to continue the level of artistry and education that has been a central tenet of my directorship. The highlights this season have been the concerts themselves, especially the unique works we've been able to program.

" 'Americana' is an opportunity to celebrate the concert band and its place within the American cultural aesthetic," Whitmore continues. "Nathan Daughtrey's 'Silent Canyons' opens the concert and is a work for percussion ensemble that will be a first for the PSYWE under my directorship. It meets our goal of expanding into new programmatic areas (evident in our most recent concert, where we initiated the chamber ensemble setting). Most importantly, the programming of the Daughtrey comes at the impetus of the students."