Northern Valley Youth Orchestras concert set for Sunday at Empire Arts Center
Feb. 24—GRAND FORKS — The Northern Valley Youth Orchestras will present a winter symphony concert at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave.
The concert, titled "Momentum," will feature 80 student musicians from a dozen communities and schools in North Dakota and Minnesota.
The minimum suggested donation is $5, but guests may pay what they can, said Naomi Welsh, NVYO executive director. Tickets, all general admission, will be sold at the door.
Two student symphonic orchestras are scheduled to perform Sunday, the NVYO Symphony, conducted by Kevin Sutterlin and assistant Dean Tucker, and NVYO Philharmonic, conducted by Kara Hartten with assistant Katie Stermer. Each group includes string, wind, brass and percussion musicians.
"The concert will feature an exciting variety of live music, including familiar favorites, and new and lesser-known masterpieces, by composers from across the ages and all around the world," Welsh said.
The program will include works by Cecile Chaminade, Leroy Anderson, Gioacchino Rossini, Soon Hee Newbold, Maria Grenfell and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, as well as the premiere of the full orchestra version of Haitian composer Christopher Ducasse's "Rit Lavi A" ("The Rhythm of Life"), commissioned in 2023.
"From opera to pirate legends, there is something for everyone in this concert," Welsh said.
Raffle ticket sales and a reception will follow the performance in the gallery space. Raffle tickets will be sold for prizes that will be drawn at the NVYO's "Music in Boom" event April 7. Tickets will be drawn for eight prize packages, all featuring a variety of gift cards, vouchers and items donated by area businesses. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20, she said, and ticket-purchasers choose which prize they want to enter to win. Advance tickets for "Music in Bloom" will also be sold.
In addition to the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks area, UND and Grand Force Air Force Base, the NVYO student musicians come from Manvel, Thompson, Reynolds, Cummings and Minto, North Dakota, and Crookston, Fisher, Warren and Goodridge, Minnesota, Welsh said.
The NVYO programs provide challenging symphonic technique and performance opportunities for young musicians ages 10 to 21 in a supportive setting, she said. The participants gather for weekly rehearsals "to make music, make friends, and use their talents to make a difference in the community."
Altogether, through its orchestras, chamber music programs and camps, the NVYO is serving about 120 students this season, Welsh said.
The NVYO is supported in part by grants from organizations including the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Myra Foundation; and Visit Greater Grand Forks. Funding also comes from the Neel Family Fund, the Iseminger Fund for the Arts, the Women's Fund, and the city of Grand Forks — all through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region.
Additional support and assistance provided by donors and sponsors, dozens of area music teachers, and community venues makes this season possible, Welsh said.
For more information, go to
or call or email Welsh at (701) 213-0310 or
.
