concert

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate, we are highlighting all the fantastic Black composers that have works included in our 2022-23 season. Learn more about Anthony Barfield, Valerie Coleman, Katahj Copley, Adrian Gordon, and Jessie Montgomery:  As part of our winter concert series, Young Peoples Orchestra (YPO) performed “Invictus for Brass” by Anthony Barfield. Barfield is a producer and composer based in New York City. Known for his lyrical writing style, his compositions have been performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. As a former trombonist, he has performed at halls such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, …

This past June, our TRYPO musicians finally got to travel to New York on our Conquer Carnegie Tour and attend the French Woods Festival stay-away camp, followed by a performance at Carnegie Hall. While we loved to provide this opportunity for our musicians, it is even better to hear how meaningful the experience was for them after having to wait so long to go because of the pandemic. Wesley, a percussionist in our Young Peoples Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble, writes about his time on the trip and why it meant so much to him. After the rise of COVID, our plans …

This past January, TRYPO was able to host our first concert with an in-person audience for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. While we were very excited to hear our young musicians perform together again, it was just as powerful to hear how meaningful the experience was for them after living through these difficult times. Elizabeth Bennett, a flutist in our Young Peoples Orchestra and a member of Youth Chamber Connection, writes about how determined she was to be on stage for the concert despite all the obstacles!: As a woodwind musician, the COVID-19 pandemic caused major …

For Black History Month, we want to start off by telling you a bit about two fantastic living composers – Omar Thomas and Kelijah Dunton – and what inspired them to write some incredible pieces of music. We are excited for our students to be performing these works this semester! Omar Thomas’ piece “Of Our New Day Begun” was written to honor the nine people who lost their lives to an act of hate and domestic terrorism that occurred in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. Throughout the piece, you can hear …