Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra Travels to Miami for First Tour Since the Beginning of the Pandemic

On Friday, June 25, the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Hanrich Claassen set out with Classical Movements on the nation's first concert tour since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Although a brief three-day tour from Orlando to Miami, as instruments were loaded onto trucks and musicians boarded buses this tour signaled a long-awaited return to normalcy for the orchestra world.

Concert Venue Commandeered to Support Relief Efforts: FSYO was scheduled to perform on Sunday, June 27 at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach. However, following the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside on Thursday, all events at the Bandshell were cancelled so that the venue could be used to support the relief efforts for the disaster.

24 Hours to Find New Venue: Firmly believing in the importance of music during challenging times and recognizing how important this performance was to the young musicians of FSYO, as well as symbolically to the entire classical music community, Classical Movements swiftly moved to relocate the performance. With barely 24-hours' notice, Classical Movements found an alternate venue at Lincoln Road. On such short notice, Classical Movements also secured chairs, tents and sandbags for the orchestra, reprinted concert flyers with the updated venue - and communicated with the more than 500 people who had planned to attend the concert on Miami Beach.

Music Offers Comfort: Especially as the nation's first orchestra tour and knowing the power of music to bring joy in times of hardship, FSYO's program was an offering of comfort and joy in the midst of devastation. The concert featured a world premiere, Meditations and Dances by FSYO Composer-in-Residence Brandon Martin. Before the tour Claassen noted, "I hope this will signal a time of hope and new beginnings for our community."

Despite the last-minute change in venue, audiences responded enthusiastically to the diverse and eclectic program - the orchestra's last concert with outgoing Music Director Hanrich Claassen. Following the concert, Maestro Claassen expressed his gratitude to Classical Movements, "We had a great time today and everything worked out! It was a good last one for me, before I head out to the Netherlands."

The first orchestra tour since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, FSYO and Classical Movements partnered to celebrate the return of live classical music, an industry that has suffered more than most over the last year. All concert and travel arrangements were made by Classical Movements.

Concert Details

MIAMI BEACH

Sunday, June 27 - 1:00 PM

Lincoln Road Mall

1100 Block, Miami Beach, FL 33149

Free concert

Repertoire

Six Pieces from the First Ballet Suite, Op. 84

Dmitri Shostakovich

Comedians

Prologue

Gallop

Pantomime

Lyrical Scene

Epilogue

Dmitri Kabalevsky

Suite for Small Orchestra #1

Igor Stravinsky

Meditations and Dances

Brandon Martin

Variations on a Shaker Melody

Aaron Copland

Downton Abbey Suite

arr. Douglas E. Wagner

Gloria Estefan Rocks

arr. Victor Lopez

Satchmo! (A Tribute to Louis Armstrong) arr. Ted Ricketts

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