CYSO Presents Chicago Premiere of Vivian Fung's Concerto for Trumpet at Orchestra Hall Nov. 14

Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) is thrilled to present the Chicago premiere of Vivian Fung's trumpet concerto performed by CYSO alum Mary Elizabeth Bowden at CYSO's Fall Concert at Orchestra Hall (220 S. Michigan Ave.) at 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 14. Bowden is also the recipient of the CYSO 2021 Alumni Award, which will be presented during the concert.

Fung is a JUNO Award-winning Canadian composer. Her Concerto for Trumpet is a virtuosic, tour de force work that stretches the imagination of what's possible on the E-flat, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpets. Written for Mary Elizabeth Bowden, the concerto was inspired by a conversation about Bowden's journey in her solo career and as a woman in a male-dominated field. "Ideas of striving, overcoming challenges, frustration, passion, and ultimately joy and celebration are all explored in this piece," says Fung. "Mary's journey was a true inspiration in writing this piece, and I am thrilled for the piece to debut in Chicago at CYSO."

Fung's Concerto for Trumpet piece was the first concerto written by a North American female composer for a female trumpet soloist. It was co-commissioned by CYSO along with a consortium of other orchestras including Erie Philharmonic (which hosted the world premiere performance of Fung's Concerto for Trumpet in January 2020) along with San José Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, San Diego State University's School of Music & Dance, Shenandoah Conservatory and Waynesboro Symphony. It was also awarded a New Music USA grant.

"It's such an honor to have our alum Mary Elizabeth Bowden back on our stage," says conductor Allen Tinkham. "But it is particularly gratifying to bring a new work to the orchestral stage, particularly one written by such a gifted composer, who also happens to be female. We hope this work will quickly be accepted as part of the classical music repertoire."

Conducted by CYSO Music Director Allen Tinkham and assisted by Steven Gooden, the program will also include Samuel Barber's "Second Essay" Leonard Bernstein's Overture to "West Side Story" and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36 as well as CYSO's Bianca Ciubancan performing Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major and Louis Auxenfans performing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major.

Tickets for general admission floor and upper balcony will be $20, lower balcony $40-$50 and boxes $60 and can be purchased at cyso.org/tickets.

Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras' mission is to inspire and cultivate personal excellence through music. After 75 years of music-making, CYSO continues to shape generations of young leaders and musicians. Students collaborate and create in a learning environment like no other, developing fundamental skills including leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, and resilience. CYSO is committed to educating, encouraging, and empowering each young musicians so that they may pursue personal excellence both on and off the stage. for more info about CYSO visit cyso.org