Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra opens 40th season November 11

Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association opens its 40th season at the Tennessee Theatre. Image by Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

KNOXVILLE – The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association (KSYOA) will open its 40th season with a FREE Fall Concert on Monday, November 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre. All five youth orchestras in the Association will perform, including the top Youth Orchestra conducted by KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum. This concert, sponsored by ORNL and UT Battelle, is free and open to the public.

This concert will feature performances from all five of the orchestras in the Association: Preludium, Philharmonia, Sinfonia, Youth Chamber Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra.

• The concert will open with the Preludium Orchestra under the baton of Erin Archer featuring beginning string players who will perform Robert Frost’s Timberline Trails and Balmage’s Burst! Under the baton of Megan Tipton, they will perform Elliot Delborgo’s Stringalong.
• The Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Katie Hutchinson, includes string players with minimal orchestral experience. They will perform excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Bernofky’s Wired.
• The Sinfonia Orchestra consists of string players with at least three years of instrument experience. Led by Association General Manager Kathy Hart, they will take the stage for Nishimura’s Blue Water and one movement from Bach’s Sinfonia in D Major. Katie Middleton will conduct this orchestra in Beethoven’s Adante con Moto from Symphony No. 5.
• The Youth Chamber Orchestra, which consists of intermediate string players, is under the direction of Wesley Baldwin, professor of cello at the University of Tennessee. These students will perform Pärt’s Fratres and two movements from Nielsen’s Small Suite for String Orchestra, opus 1.
• The Association’s top group, the Youth Orchestra, is a full symphonic orchestra led by Music Director James Fellenbaum (also KSO Resident Conductor). They will perform Franz von Suppé’s Overture to Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna with soloist Daniel Hong, cello. They will conclude the evening with the finale to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D Major.

The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association is currently celebrating its 40th season. 275 students are selected by an audition process each fall. In addition to weekly rehearsals, the students will perform four concerts throughout the 2013-2014 Season. All four performances take place at the Tennessee Theatre and are FREE and open to the public. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony League and Knox County Schools sponsor the Association. For more information regarding the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association, or the spring concert, please call 865-291-3310.

Published November 10, 2013