The Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) will open its season with the Grand Canyon Suite, a concert that will showcase the Gulf Coast’s most talented student musicians, under the direction of acclaimed international conductor Dr. Iván del Prado, Sunday, Nov, 6, 2:30 p.m., at the Saenger Theatre.
The concert opens with Tchaikovsky Marche Slave, a rousing patriotic work based on Serbian folk themes. Clarinetist Ian Gonzales, winner of the MSYO Concerto Competition, is featured soloist in the Rondo movement from the Clarinet Concert No. 3 by C.Ph. Stamitz.
The concert ends with an epic symphonic postcard to the American west – Grand Canyon Suite by American composer Ferde Grofe. Inspired by seeing the sun rise over the Grand Canyon, the suite famously uses every instrument and even sound effects to recreate the breathtaking spectacle of the canyon.
The Concerto Competition is an opportunity for outstanding high school musicians to earn the privilege of performing as a featured soloist with a full orchestra. Winners are selected by a panel of professional musicians not affiliated with the MSYO. Winner Ian Gonzales is a senior at Gulf Breeze High School.
“Since the MSYO is comprised of the best student musicians in the region, our concerto competition is particularly rigorous,” Mobile Symphony President and CEO Celia Mann Baehr explains. “We are pleased to offer this unique learning opportunity. We are proud of them all!”
Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. More about the MSYO can be found at www.mobilesymphony.org or call the Mobile Symphony at 251-432-2010.
