January 25, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Side-by-Side with the Richmond Symphony
Sunday, February 10 at 7:30pm
Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts

Friday, January 25, 2019 – Richmond, Virginia: The Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO) will perform side by side with Richmond Symphony musicians on Sunday, February 10 at 7:30pm in the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts. A 115 member combined orchestra, this program features blossoming talents playing alongside experienced mentors. Hear selections by Beethoven, Schumann, von Suppé, and Stravinsky during this free concert led by Richmond Symphony Music Director Steven Smith. This incredible performance is a true testament to the power of live music.

The Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, led by Associate Conductor Daniel Myssyk, offers a pre-college orchestra experience for the serious musician. To gain entrance into the ensemble, students from across Central Virginia participate in a competitive audition process each spring. Students in the program hold themselves to a high level of discipline, preparation, and musicianship.

This concert features cellist Abigail Leidy, winner of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. She began playing piano at age six and her cello studies at age nine. Abigail has been a member of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program since the fall of 2014 and joined the top orchestra, RSYO, in the fall of 2015. She has studied under Julian Schwarz and Neal Cary, Principal Cello with the Richmond Symphony, for six years. Abigail was selected to perform as a soloist with the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the 2018 Young Artist’s Competition. Her notable chamber instructors include Awadagin Pratt, William Wolfram, Beth Vanderborgh, and Shawn Weil. Abigail is currently a junior in the Commonwealth Governor’s School at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

Admission to this concert is free with no ticket required.

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Steven Smith, Conductor
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra

Abigail Leidy, Cello, winner of the RSYO Concerto Competition

                                      Beethoven – Overture to Egmont, Op. 84

                                      Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
I. Nicht zu schnell
Abigail Leidy, cello
Winner of the 2019 Richmond Symphony Youth
Orchestra Concerto Competition

                                       von Suppé – Overture to The Poet and the Peasant

                                       Stravinsky  – Suite from The Firebird
Introduction
L’Oiseau de feu et sa danse & Variation de l’oiseau de feu
Ronde des princesses
Danse infernale du roi Kastcheϊ
Berceuse
Final

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About the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program

The Richmond Symphony’s flagship educational program, founded in 1962, consists of four youth orchestras and a wind ensemble providing beginning to advanced musical training. As the premier orchestral training program of central Virginia, students participate in weekly rehearsals, coaching, and masterclasses by Richmond Symphony musicians, chamber music performances, mentoring, and other musical and social activities. The Youth Orchestra Program is open to violin, viola, cello, bass, flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, harp, and percussion students in elementary through high school.

About the Richmond Symphony (www.richmondsymphony.com):

Kicking off its 61st Season in September 2018, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 260 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 200,000 members of the community enjoy live concerts and radio broadcasts. The Symphony also provides educational outreach programs to over 55,000 students and teachers each year. The Symphony was recently named one of 21 American orchestras selected as a leader in orchestra innovation by the League of American Orchestras through its Futures Fund Initiative. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit www.richmondsymphony.com for more information.

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Contacts:
Erin Frye
Marketing and PR Manager
804.788.4717 ext. 121
efrye@richmondsymphony.com

Scott Dodson
Director of Advancement and Patron Communications
804.788.4717 ext. 121
sdodson@richmondsymphony.com