Elgin Youth Symphony offers master class, concert
The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Brass Choir presents "Polarity," a master class and concert with special guests Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Saturday, April 11, in the Geneva High School auditorium, 416 McKinley Ave. The master class will be at 3 p.m., with the concert at 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with EYSO's 2014-15 artistic theme, "A Thousand and One Nights," this year's master class and concert, "Polarity," explores the representation of light and dark in music through a diverse array of innovative and experimental repertoire.
It features a collaboration with the acclaimed Chicago ensemble Fulcrum Point New Music Project. Founded by trumpet virtuoso and conductor Stephen Burns in 1998, Fulcrum Point is known internationally as a champion of new classical music, performing contemporary works inspired and influenced by literature, film, dance, folk, rock, jazz, blues, Latin, and world music.
For the EYSO concert, Burns and nine additional Fulcrum Point members - including trombonist Andy Baker, saxophonist Jim Gailloreto, pianist Kuang Hao Huang, keyboardist Karl Montzka, bassist Jason Ellis, guitarist Steven Roberts and percussionists Jeff Handley, Danny Howard, and Jean Leroy - will share the stage with EYSO's student musicians.
Concert highlights include: the Brass Choir performing arrangements of Wagner's "Funeral March" from "Die Götterdammerung" and Astor Piazzola's "Tango Suite"; Percussion Ensemble performing its fully improvisational work "Metal Moon"; Fulcrum Point performances of Jakob TV's multimedia composition "Close Fight," which blends projected visual elements and recorded music with live instruments; Somei Satoh's Hikari, which brings together electronic, minimalist, and romantic elements; and an arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Bye Ya."
It also will feature the debut of a new arrangement of Fela Kuti's "Water Get No Enemy," specially orchestrated by Stephen Burns for a joint performance by Fulcrum Point and the full EYSO youth symphony.
Prior to the concert, Fulcrum Point members will lead a free, one-hour master class on the topic "Deep Practice," discussing their approach to preparing music. The master class, also to be held at Geneva High School, will begin at 3 p.m. to accommodate attendance by EYSO students and family members as well as the general public.
Tickets, which are $24, $19 for seniors, and $13 for students, can be purchased in advance. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. All tickets are for reserved seating. Call the box office at (847) 622-0300 or order online at tickets.elgin.edu.
Auditions for the 40th anniversary season will be May 28-31 at the ECC Arts Center. Students in fourth grade (as of fall 2015) and up are invited to audition.
For information, visit EYSO.org, call (847) 841-7700 or email office@eyso.org.