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EYSO's final concerts of the season feature new percussion ensemble

On Sunday, May 4, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra's newest ensemble will perform at the final concerts of the organization's 38th season.

"Star Cross'd: The Music of Romeo and Juliet" concerts will be at 2, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Elgin Community College's Blizzard Theatre, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Tickets are $13-$24 and available at tickets.elgin.edu or by calling (847) 622-0300.

The EYSO's newest ensemble opportunity for students - the Percussion Ensemble - debuted in March, and it performs again during the 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. "Star Cross'd" concerts. They will perform two selections including a premiere of Joe Beribak's composition, "Stratiform Strut."

Having grown significantly over the last decade, the EYSO has added this ensemble to provide student musicians with varied opportunities to explore and perform music in different formats.

Presently, the EYSO is home to five orchestras, a Brass Choir, the Chamber Music Institute (CMI) and three CMI Honors Chamber Groups. The Percussion Ensemble is for intermediate to advanced students in Sinfonia, Philharmonia and the Youth Symphony. Greg Beyer (Director of Percussion Studies at Northern Illinois University) coaches the ensemble with assistant coach Joe Beribak (EYSO alum).

The three concerts on Sunday are planned as follows:

2 p.m. concert: Features Sinfonia, the Prelude Orchestra and the Primo Orchestra.

Jason Flaks conducts Sinfonia, a full orchestra for intermediate level students. Andrew Masters conducts Prelude Orchestra, a string orchestra for early and intermediate level students. Daryl Silberman conducts the Primo Orchestra for beginning string players.

4:30 p.m. concert: Features Philharmonia and the Brass Choir.

Under the direction of conductor David Anderson, Philharmonia is an orchestra for advanced middle and high school players, performing challenging repertoire. The Brass Choir, conducted by Jason Flaks, provides a unique musical experience for brass players. Brass Choir draws its members from the three full orchestras to form an ensemble within the EYSO. The concert will also feature a performance by the Percussion Ensemble.

7:30 p.m. concert: Features the Youth Symphony.

For advanced high school and college-age students, the Youth Symphony plays standard symphonic repertoire. Its members are drawn from a wide geographical area and enjoy the enrichment and challenge of performing with other serious and dedicated musicians under the leadership of Artistic Director and Youth Symphony conductor Randal Swiggum. The concert will also feature a performance by the Percussion Ensemble.

For details, visit www.eyso.org.

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