Youth Ensembles present Season Finales

Two Santa Barbara Symphony youth ensembles will present free season-ending concerts the weekend of May 20-21. The Symphony's Junior Orchestra will perform works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and others beginning at 3 pm in First United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 20. The Santa Barbara Youth Symphony will present a program of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Mozart beginning at 4 pm in the Lobero Theatre on Sunday, May 21.

"These concerts will showcase the remarkable progress our young musicians have made over the course of the school year," said Amy Williams, director of education and community engagement for the Santa Barbara Symphony. "Both performances will be musical celebrations of sorts, and we encourage the wider community to come see and hear for themselves what can be achieved through quality, sustained instrument instruction for children."

Consisting of some 80 musicians ages 12 to 18 from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony is the capstone program of the Santa Barbara Symphony's award-winning Music Education Center, which offers a series of highly regarded outreach programs for area children of all ages. The ensemble is led by Music Director Andy Radford, principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Symphony, and members are selected through audition. The May 21 performance will feature a solo turn by 15-year-old Luca Kim, who attends Cate School in Carpinteria. He will perform the first movement of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1.

The Symphony's Junior Orchestra serves beginning and intermediate string and wind players ages 9 to 14, and is led by violinist and educator Marisa McLeod.

First United Methodist Church is located at 305 East Anapamu Street in Santa Barbara. The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.

For more information, call 805-898-8785.

The Santa Barbara Symphony was founded in 1953 on the belief that a special city deserves a special orchestra. Consistently lauded for its unique ability to present brilliant concerts, engage the community, and deliver dynamic music education programs, the organization prizes both innovation and artistic excellence, and is widely recognized as one of the region's premier cultural institutions. Its award-winning Music Education Center serves more than 8,000 students throughout Santa Barbara County each year. Charismatic Israeli conductor Nir Kabaretti was appointed music director of the Santa Barbara Symphony in 2006. For additional information, visit www.thesymphony.org.

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