The Montana Youth Symphony will be presenting its second annual Gala Concert at the Willson Auditorium on Sunday, August 11th, at 3pm. The symphony will perform under the direction of conductor Sir Donald Runnicles, general music director for Deutsche Oper Berlin, director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming, and principal guest conductor for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Runnicles served as its chief conductor from 2009 to 2016.
The concert will feature Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with Tanner Jorden as soloist, Mozart’s Symphony #25, and the premiere performance of Sun and Shadow on the Blackfoot, an original symphonic composition by Aidan McCormack, winner of the first orchestral composition contest sponsored by the Montana Youth Symphony.
According to Ilse-Mari Lee, founder and president of the board of the Montana Youth Symphony, the orchestra includes young musicians from across the state as well as some who have moved away. “It’s an opportunity for Montanans to come home from college, from places as far away as Florida and Hawaii, and perform together. It’s a wonderful showcase of talent and a gift to the whole state of Montana,” Lee says.
The 55 young performers and the organization’s board members represent all areas of the state, from Conrad and Great Falls to Kalispell and Lolo. Students were nominated for membership in the symphony, and then submitted audition recordings for consideration by a review panel.
Lee’s goals are for the group to become an outstanding regional youth symphony orchestra, who will perform statewide and even internationally, as cultural ambassadors of Montana. “This group is outstanding,” she says. “Music education in Montana is extraordinary, though many students don’t continue in music after graduating. This symphony creates an opportunity for young people to build on the excellence of their talents and education; it provides opportunity at the highest level.”
A nonprofit organization, the Montana Youth Symphony is supported by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, Gianforte Family Foundation, the Susan Heyneman Foundation, in addition to local businesses, music and arts organizations, and individual donors.
Tickets for the August 11th gala concert in the Wilson Auditorium are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Visit montanayouthsymphony.org/gala-concert for details. Tanner Jorden will present a solo piano recital, on August 7th at 7pm in Reynolds Hall. Tickets for the piano recital are available HERE.
For more information about the Montana Youth Symphony, visit montanayouthsymphony.org. •
