Adelaide Youth Orchestras to Send 2016 off with a Bang in Gala Concert

The year will be sent off with a bang - literally - on November 20when 250 of South Australia's best young musicians come together on stage for Adelaide Youth Orchestras' Gala Concert: Celebrate at the Adelaide Town Hall.

AdYO's final concert for the year will see all four of the company's orchestras - Adelaide Youth Wind, Adelaide Youth Sinfonia, Adelaide Youth Strings and the flagship Adelaide Youth Orchestra - present a bumper program of classical crowd-pleasers culminating in Tchaikovsky's heroic 1812 Overture, famous for its powerful cannon-fired finale.

The company's flagship orchestra will join forces with the South Australian Band Association's State Youth Brass to present this very special performance, complete with booming cannon sound effects, under the direction of conductor Keith Crellin OAM.

The Gala Concert will also see the orchestras taking cues from the silver screen, performing several works from Hollywood films.

Under the direction of conductor Minas Berberyan, Adelaide Youth Sinfonia (ages 12 to 20) will get the blood racing with a performance of symphonic highlights from 2000 Russell Crowe blockbuster Gladiator by composer Hans Zimmer, as well as beloved pieces from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

Under conductor Martin Butler Adelaide Youth Strings (ages seven to 13) will go from classical music to classic pop with an orchestral reworking of Coldplay's 2002 smash hit single Clocks, as well as works by Adelaide composers and Zephyr Quartet members Hilary Kleinig and Belinda Gehlert, Peter Martin's Vivaldiana, and a beautiful symphonic piece from Academy Award winning 2014 film The Theory of Everything by composer Johann Johannsson.

Continuing the filmic theme, Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra (ages 13 to 24) under the direction of conductor Al Kidney will perform John Williams' Hymn to the Fallen, from Steven Spielberg's landmark 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan, as well as AlfRed Reed'sFifth Suite for Band and Kenneth Alford's Christmassy Holiday Emblem.

AdYO's Artistic Director Keith Crellin said the Gala Concert was the perfect opportunity to experience all four AdYO orchestras on the one program.

"The Gala Concert is truly a spectacle unlike anything else on South Australia's musical calendar," he said. "It's a great chance for audiences to witness 250 talented young musicians at their absolute best, and four orchestras coming together for a lively and exciting celebration of classical music."

Adelaide Youth Orchestras provides around 250 of South Australia's most talented young musicians with the opportunity to flourish in a vibrant and exciting musical environment.

The company comprises four separate orchestras: Adelaide Youth Strings for primary school aged children, Adelaide Youth Sinfonia for high school and tertiary aged students, Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra for woodwind, brass and percussion students at high school and tertiary level and the flagship Adelaide Youth Orchestra, made up of about 80 of South Australia's most accomplished musicians aged 12 to 24.

Hand-picked by annual audition, each AdYO member is tutored by professional musicians from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the SA Police Band and the Elder Conservatorium of Music at The University of Adelaide to nurture their love of orchestra music and ensure performances of the highest quality.

Bookings through AdYO on 8361 8896 or www.adyo.com.au

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