Elgin welcomes former EYSO conductor

On Sunday, March 20, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, with Music Director Randal Swiggum, performs “Timepieces,” the second concert of its 35th anniversary season, at 4 and 7 p.m. at Elgin Community College's Blizzard Theater, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

The concert features an interplay of classic masterpieces and edgy new works, including one commissioned piece especially for the EYSO.

Daniel Boico, New York Philharmonic assistant conductor and former EYSO conductor, will be making a special return appearance for the concerts.

In addition to Boico, the March 20 concert will feature performances by winners of the 2010-11 EYSO Young Artists Concerto Competition, as well as the announcement of EYSO's annual Music Educator of the Year Award.

Born in Israel and raised in Paris and the United States, Boico studied with Russian professor Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and later was a prize winner at the Prokofiev and Pedrotti conducting competitions.

Boico has conducted orchestras from Russia and Israel to Taiwan and Mexico. He was appointed New York Philharmonic assistant conductor in the 2009-10 season and made his Philharmonic debut Jan. 23, 2009.

Tickets to the concert cost $23, $18 for senior citizens and $12 for students. Purchase tickets online at tickets.elgin.edu or by calling the ECC box office at (847) 622-0300.