“Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra members had a lot to celebrate Sunday evening as they performed their season finale and first show at their new permanent home at the all-new Musco Center for the Arts in preparation for their tour through Spain in July,” writes Josh Rosen in Sunday’s (5/22) Orange County Register. “ ‘Vienna, Austria, all these places are done very often, but not many youth orchestras at the moment are going to Spain,’ ” said music director and conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs. “The young musicians performed the orchestra suite from Bernstein’s ‘Candide,’ Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and Albeniz’s ‘Iberia’ Suite as a preview of the program they will present in Barcelona, Manresa and Madrid this summer. Wachs and company chose these pieces because of their cultural history and the advanced skill required to perform them. The orchestra wanted to travel with an American piece, Wachs said, but also wanted to perform something from a Spanish composer.… The students, who were officially recognized as ‘cultural ambassadors’ by county Supervisor Todd Spitzer, say they look forward to … their trip. They will also visit Portugal but won’t perform there. The orchestra leaves July 5 and returns July 14.”
Posted May 24, 2016
