Violinist In Mo Yang Joins Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra In Program Feat. Wagner, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, And Mahler

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Benjamin Zander, returns to Symphony Hall on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. to perform a program inspired by the title Mahler gave to the last movement of his Third Symphony, "What Love Tells Me." 23 year old violinist In Mo Yang, first prize winner of the prestigious Paganini Competition, is the featured soloist in Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto.

The concert is an exploration of love in its different manifestations, and opens with Wagner's Meistersinger Overture, which reflects the love of community and society, binding humankind together in ways that are both strong and yet fragile. Tchaikovsky's well-recognized Overture to Romeo and Julietmusically combines themes of young love, feudal rivalry, and religiosity into one movement - a depiction of the passionate and thwarted love of Shakespeare's immortal characters. Mahler's Third Symphony showcases the composer's attempt to depict in music the highest spiritual state that man can achieve, representing love as the animating principle of all that exists.

The program's focus on Mahler continues the season theme celebrating the 80th birthday of Maestro Benjamin Zander, who began conducting Mahler's symphonies in the 1970s and has become one of the foremost Mahler conductors of his time. High Fidelity Magazine named Benjamin Zander and London's Philharmonia Orchestra's recording of Mahler's Sixth Symphony as the best classical recording of 2002; the recording of the Third Symphony was awarded 'Critic's Choice' by the German Record Critics; and Zander's recordings of Mahler's Ninth, Mahler's Second, and Bruckner's Fifth were nominated for Grammy Awards.

The BPYO and Maestro Zander received recognition as a premier Mahler orchestra following their recording of Mahler's 6th symphony, which was chosen as one of the Ten Best Recordings of 2018 by the Chicago Tribune and The Boston Globe. The album's release was followed by a successful 2019 tour to eight European cities with Mahler's 9th Symphony, a work the BPYO recorded for an album out February 22, 2019 on Brattle Media. Midwest Record called Zander "One of Mahler's prime interpreters for over half a century" and referred to the performance on the album as "just glorious." Of a recent BPYO concert, Pulitzer-prize winning music critic Lloyd Schwartz wrote "I wish more professional orchestras played as thrillingly as this."

Program Information
Wagner, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, and Mahler
Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Benjamin Zander, Conductor

Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 3:00pm
Symphony Hall | 301 Massachusetts Avenue | Boston, MA 02115

Program:
WAGNER Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
In Mo Yang, Violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Fantasy Overture, Romeo and Juliet
MAHLER Symphony No. 3, Finale ("What love tells me")

Ticket Information
Tickets are available by visiting www.bostonphil.org or by calling 617-236-0999.

About the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra was formed in 2012 under the auspices of the Boston Philharmonic. Conducted by Benjamin Zander, the BPYO's motto is "Shaping Future Leaders through Music." The 120 enthusiastic and talented young musicians of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra range in age from 12 to 21. The wide range of ages affords younger members of the orchestra the chance to collaborate with older students who have already begun their professional careers. In turn, collegiate members of the group are offered the opportunity to nurture and coach the future generations.

BPYO offers a unique opportunity for young instrumentalists who want to study great orchestral repertoire in a musically dynamic and intellectually challenging community. BPYO members are asked not only to master their parts and to gain a deep understanding of the musical score (including through regular sectional rehearsals led by top professionals from the Boston musical community), but also to engage in dialogue with Mr. Zander, through weekly "white sheets," where they are invited to share their thoughts on all aspects of the music and the rehearsal process. These conversations often lead to stimulating discussions on personal leadership and often initiate ongoing individual conversations with Mr. Zander through email, phone calls, and conversations at rehearsal, creating a unique mentoring relationship between Mr. Zander and each musician.

In the inaugural 2012-13 season, the BPYO performed two concerts to sold out audiences in Boston's Symphony Hall and undertook a wildly successful five-city tour of the Netherlands, culminating in a performance of Mahler's Second Symphony in Amsterdam's acclaimed Concertgebouw. Six months later, in December 2013, BPYO performed at Carnegie Hall, receiving high praise in The New York Times for their "brilliantly played, fervently felt account." In 2015, the group undertook an 18-day European tour with concerts in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland, including performances in the Prague Rudolfinum, the Philharmonie of Berlin, and the KKL of Luzern. In 2016, BPYO performed six concerts in Spain. In 2017, the orchestra traveled to South America with performances and outreach activities in Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina. In 2018, the orchestra performed 8 concerts in Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands, including performances in the Prague Rudolfinum, Budapest National Concert Hall, Vienna Musikverein, and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Each international engagement has been met with top critical approval and formed life-long bonds between the orchestra and the musical cultures of the various host countries.

BPYO has released three highly acclaimed commercial recordings: Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 2013; and Mahler Symphonies No. 6 and No. 9, both recorded live at Boston Symphony Hall in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The many musical and personal growth opportunities offered by the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra cultivate exceptionally skilled musicians who become respected and acclaimed leaders in music and in their communities.

About Benjamin Zander
For the past 50 years, Benjamin Zander has occupied a unique place as a master teacher, deeply insightful and probing interpreter, and as a profound source of inspiration for audiences, students, professional musicians, corporate leaders, politicians and more. He has persistently engaged most well-informed musical and public intellectuals in a quest for insight and understanding into the western musical canon and the underlying religious social and political issues that inspired its creation.

Zander founded the Boston Philharmonic in 1978 and has appeared as guest conductor with orchestras around the world. His performances have inspired thousands of musicians, renewed their sense of idealism and shed fresh, insightful and sometimes provocative light on the interpretation of the central symphonic repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries. Critics and the public have been united in their praise of Zander's interpretations of the central repertory.

For 25 years, Zander has enjoyed a unique relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a series of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies. High Fidelity named the recording of Mahler's 6th as 'the best classical recording,' of 2002; the 3rd was awarded 'Critic's Choice' by the German Record Critics'; The Mahler 9th, Mahler 2nd and Bruckner 5th recordings were nominated for Grammy Awards.

In 2012, Zander founded the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), which draws young musicians from the entire northeastern US to its weekly rehearsals and high-profile performances in Boston. This tuition-free orchestra tours regularly, and has performed in Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, and the Berlin Philharmonic among others. In the summer of 2017 the BPYO will tour South America and, in 2018, Europe.

From 1965-2012, Zander was on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), where he taught Musical Interpretation, and conducted the Youth Philharmonic and Conservatory orchestras. He was the founding Artistic Director of the NEC's joint program with The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. Zander led the NEC Youth Philharmonic on fifteen international tours and made several documentaries for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Zander enjoys an international career as a leadership speaker, with several keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at TED. The best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, co-authored with leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into eighteen languages.

About Violnist In Mo Yang
Korean violinist Inmo Yang has been hailed by The Boston Globe for his "...seamless technique and a tender warmth of tone," combined with "...an ability to project an engaging sense of inner sincerity through his playing." In March 2015, he won the 54th International Violin Competition "Premio Paganini" in Genoa, Italy, marking the first time - since 2006 - that the Paganini Competition jury awarded First Prize. He also garnered the following special prizes: Youngest finalist, Best performance of the contemporary original piece, and Performance most appreciated by the audience - confirming The Violin Channel's praise of Inmo as "one of the new generation's most talented young string virtuosi."

Inmo has since performed with many prestigious orchestras and renowned recital venues worldwide including his recent Carnegie Hall recital debut at Weill Recital Hall, a concerto engagement with the Danish National Symphony conducted by Fabio Luisi, and a special recital in Genoa using Paganini's own Guarneri Del Gesu violin.

Summer of 2017, Inmo performed with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Music Festival, and held debut recitals at the Dresden Music Festival and Yehudi Menuhin Gstaad Festival. He also performed with Virginia's Fairfax Symphony and the New England Conservatory Philharmonia. Abroad, Inmo had solo engagements and concerto debuts with the Philharmonia Zurich in Switzerland, Seoul Philharmonic, Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (South America Tour), and the Orchestre National de France in Geneva, Switzerland.

Early 2018, Inmo began his artist residency with Kumho Cultural Foundation, and will be regularly engaging in solo performances throughout South Korea for the 18-19 season. As a part of his artist residency with Kumho foundation, Inmo performed all 24 caprices by Niccolo Paganini - the live recording of which was released by Universal Music Korea in late 2018.

Born in Indonesia to a Korean family in 1995, Inmo Yang gave his debut recital at age 11 on the Ewon Prodigy Series in Seoul, followed by his concerto debut at age 15 with the KBS Symphony Orchestra. He graduated from the Korean National Institute for the Gifted in Arts in February 2011 and was then admitted into the Korean National University of Arts as a prodigy in music. He currently attends the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is the only violinist in its highly selective Artist Diploma program.

Inmo plays on the "Joachim-Ma" Stradivari of 1714, the violin used by Joseph Joachim for the premiere performance of the Brahms Concerto, through the generosity of the New England Conservatory.

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