Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra Will Make Its American Debut at Carnegie Hall Next Month

In just one month, the internationally celebrated Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO), will make its highly-anticipated American debut at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York City, in a one-night-only concert event, Sunday, November 3, at 7:30PM. For tickets and information, visit CarnegieHall.org, call CarnegieCharge, 212-247-7800 or visit the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 881 7th Ave (at 57th Street).

This special GYSO event will mark the first time a member orchestra of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras will perform at Carnegie Hall.  Under the direction of its Founder and Artistic Director, Dionysis Grammenos, Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra is comprised of 300 auditioned musicians, ages 18 - 26, from nearly 50 cities in Greece and throughout Europe. At Carnegie Hall, 95 GYSO musicians will present an eclectic evening of music including contemporary European and American popular symphonic works as well as a fresh new take on traditional Greek dance music through a symphonic lens. 

The program will include ”<<rewind«” by acclaimed British, Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne; Leonard Bernstein’s celebrated “Symphonic Dances,” based on themes from his West Side Story; and a selection of Nikos Skalkottas’ “Greek Dances,” which premiered at Carnegie Hall exactly 70 years earlier, in November 1954, when performed by New York Philharmonic.

Click above to watch The GYSO perform Brahms' Symphony Νo. 1

In celebration of GYSO and its upcoming American debut at Carnegie Hall, The Greek Consulate, together with the Consul Ms. Ifigenia Kanara, will host a special event on Friday afternoon, October 18. A GYSO string quartet will perform at the private reception.

“We could not be more excited that Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra will make its American debut at Carnegie Hall this fall,” says Dionysis Grammenos Founder and Artistic Director of GYSO. “Just about 70 years ago to the date of our concert, the great Greek conductor, Dimitri Mitropoulos, lead the New York Philharmonic in the debut of Nikos Skalkottas’ “Greek Dances” on the stage of Carnegie Hall. Our performance of this work feels like a celebration of the legacy of Greek music and artistry to have played this fabled stage. That we also happen to be making our American debut in New York the same day as The New York Marathon, and just days before Election Day seems rather auspicious as well. After all, Greece is the birthplace of both marathons and democracy, so the timing could not be more ideal.”

The GYSO is supported by its Founding Donor, the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and a range of individual and corporate donors including: Hellenic Parliament and the Ministry of Culture, Bank of Greece, The Hellenic Initiative, AEGEAS, Bodossaki Foundation, George Petrocheilos Family Foundation, Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Social and Cultural Affairs Welfare Foundation and Aegean Airlines, as its official air carrier sponsor. 

The GYSO Carnegie Hall debut this fall is hosted by The Hellenic Initiative (THI), a global nonprofit organization that brings together diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes to invest in the future of Greece through programs focused on crisis relief, entrepreneurship, and economic development.