Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute Presents PRYSM Strings Debut Performance, February 4

Prysm Strings, the beginner-intermediate string music education program of Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute (PYOMI), will perform in their new home-Church of the Redeemer (200 Pennswood Road, Bryn Mawr, PA)-for the first time on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 3 p.m.

All three levels of Prysm Strings-Prysm Strings, Prysm Strings Young Artists, and the newest addition, Prysm Prep-will perform a diverse program featuring works by Florence Price, Maurice Ravel, Lauren Bernofsky, and more. A highlight of the concert includes a combined student, faculty, and intern orchestra comprised of roughly 150 musicians ages 6-94-a unique attribute of the program. This concert also features a special performance of Felix Mendelssohn's String Octet by the Prysm Strings faculty and interns. The Prysm Strings Internship program provides string musicians in other PYOMI ensembles with a community service opportunity to volunteer their time as mentors for the young musicians of Prysm Strings.

The more advanced level, Prysm Strings, is conducted by Director and former cellist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Gloria dePasquale. Mrs. dePasquale expressed her excitement about all three levels coming together to perform for the first time. She said, "Prysm Strings students, 112 strong over three divisions, in the magnificent acoustics and ambiance of the Church of the Redeemer, performing a program of music by composers representing the diversity of our students, alongside faculty and interns-- what could make for a more exciting and enjoyable Saturday afternoon in February!" Prysm Strings Young Artists, the intermediate level of the program, is conducted by cellist and string specialist Andrea Weber. The beginner level, Prysm Prep, is led by cellist and early child-hood music specialist, Annie Barley Givler, and will open the concert with their debut performance.
Tickets for the performance are $15 for general admission, and free for students ages 18 and under.

Tickets can be purchased at https://igfn.us/form/m9959A or at the door. For information, call 215-545-0502 or visit www.pyomusic.org. For a complete list of the concert program, please visit https://pyomusic.org/events/02-04-2022-prysm-strings/.

Prysm Strings offers unparalleled, personalized small group instruction and educational support for beginning to intermediate string students, under the direction of Gloria dePasquale. With performance opportunities alongside the program's faculty, Prysm Strings also provides members with peer mentors from the senior ensembles of the PYO Music Institute. Gloria dePasquale, Cellist for The Philadelphia Orchestra (1977-2022) was hired by Eugene Ormandy and served four and a half decades under ensuing artistic leadership, including Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph Eschenbach, Charles Dutoit, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She was cellist of the dePasquale String Quartet and dePasquale Trio. She is senior artistic and educational advisor to PYO and designs and oversees the PYOMI College and Conservatory Audition Preparation program. Mrs. dePasquale has served on the Board of the League of American Orchestras, The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the President's Council at New England Conservatory.

The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute is the tri-state region's premier youth orchestra organization for gifted, young, classical musicians, and one of the oldest and most highly regarded youth orchestra organizations in the United States. For 83 years, the PYO Music Institute has been providing professional-caliber musical experiences to young instrumentalists, while thrilling audiences in the Greater Philadelphia region and across the globe.

The organization has nine program divisions: Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO), Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (YMDO), Bravo Brass, Prysm Strings, Pizzicato Players, Philadelphia Youth Jazz Orchestra (PYJO), Philadelphia Youth Symphonic Band (PYSB), and Tune Up Philly - Orchestral Pathways Program. Ranging in age from 5 to 21 years, the musicians of the PYO Music Institute come from a 70-mile radius of Philadelphia encompassing nearly 20 counties within Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Through advanced orchestra repertoire, students are challenged to perform at the highest levels, to strive for advanced musicianship, and to achieve superior technical, musical, and personal application. Former PYOMI musicians currently hold chairs in most of the top 20 professional orchestras in the United States, with 12 PYOMI alumni currently serving in The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Extraordinary artistic leadership is a hallmark of the PYO Music Institute. Adolph Sorian (1940-1941), J.W.F. Leman (1941-1952), William R. Smith (1952-1954), and Joseph Primavera (1954-2005) served as Music Directors, with Maestro Primavera having had the extraordinary distinction of being the longest-serving active conductor of any orchestra in the world. Louis Scaglione, appointed in 1997 by Maestro Primavera and the PYOMI Board of Trustees, continues the legacy of leadership, currently serving as the PYO Music Institute's President, CEO and Music Director.

For more information, please visit www.pyomusic.org.

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