At 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24 in UCLA’s Royce Hall, the American Youth Symphony (AYS) opens its 2017-18 concert season with a performance in honor of late AYS board member John Liebes. The program includes Richard Strauss’ Don Juan, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 12, and Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor, featuring AYS Concerto Competition winner Aubree Oliverson. Tickets are free and seating is limited. Reserve free tickets online now or order by phone 310.470.2332.
AYS is proud to share this concert in honor of John Liebes, who served on the orchestra’s Board of Directors from 1997 to 2015. John is remembered as a successful business man, generous patron of the arts, and frequent concert-goer. Sponsored by the Liebes family, this performance celebrates and continues his legacy within the orchestra and the Los Angeles community.
AYS violinist and Concerto Competition winner Aubree Oliverson joined the orchestra in 2016. A 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and YoungArts National Finalist, she has been featured on NPR’s From The Top four times, and was a finalist in the Stulberg International Strings Competition. Oliverson currently studies with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. She plays on a 1743 Sanctus Seraphin violin on generous loan from Dr. James Stewart.
Following a successful inaugural season as AYS Music Director, Maestro Izcaray is excited and energized as he leads the orchestra into a new season. A celebrated composer, conductor and educator, Izcaray has cultivated a varied set of musical skills throughout his career. In addition to being the current Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Izcaray has led prestigious orchestras in Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Switzerland, Italy, and South Africa, and has also distinguished himself as a talented cellist, featured as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide. His 2010 performances of Virginia by Mercadante won the Best Opera prize at the Irish Theatre Awards, while his most recent orchestral piece, Cota Mil, premiered at the Orquesta Sinfónica Municipal de Caracas to great acclaim.
The American Youth Symphony’s mission is to inspire the future of classical music. The organization shares exceptional, innovative concerts, offered for free or significantly reduced admission, based on a landmark Fellowship program for musicians in high school through doctoral music programs. Competitively selected, the orchestra is comprised of 100 musicians who represent extraordinary talent from all over the world. By gifting the community with remarkable concerts at world-class venues, the American Youth Symphony remains committed to creating access and opportunity for everyone to experience the inspiration of this beautiful art form.
