After a year marked by inspiring rehearsals and stellar performances, the gifted brass players in PYO Music Institute’s Bravo Brass ensemble are thrilled to showcase their talents at the group’s 13th Annual Festival Concert, which caps off their 2015-16 season.

Bravo Brass is the only all-brass ensemble for youth in the region and one of the few in the country, drawing the most talented young brass instrumentalists ages 12-21 in the region. One of six unique program divisions of the renowned PYO Music Institute led by Louis Scaglione, Bravo Brass is directed and conducted by Paul Bryan, Dean of Faculty and Students at the Curtis Institute of Music.

On Saturday, June 4th, at 7:30 p.m., the ensemble’s talented young musicians will pick up their instruments for their final performance of the 2015-16 season at the beautiful St. Mark’s Church—1625 Locust Street in Philadelphia. “Hollywood Brass” will feature music of the stage and screen including compositions by Samuel Barber, Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner, and John Williams. Tickets, priced at $15, are available by calling 215.545.0502

“This concert is just one example of the many ways in which Bravo Brass endeavors to further both the individual and ensemble playing skills of brass players and provide exceptional performance opportunities for our students,” Director Paul Bryan explains.

Bravo Brass’ young musicians are selected by audition to participate in this advanced group and receive instruction from a faculty of expert musicians in each instrument. The ensemble offers students the opportunity to build their musicianship as well as life skills that enhance personal growth.  Many of the students have excelled in all-state bands and orchestras throughout the Delaware Valley and gained admission into some of the country’s finest universities and conservatories. The scope of opportunities and activities afforded to Bravo Brass students is indicative of the remarkable programming offered by the PYO Music Institute, now celebrating its 76th year as one of the most respected orchestral preparatory organizations in the country.

About Bravo Brass

Bravo Brass, founded in 1997 and having joined PYO organization in 2003, is the brass ensemble program of PYO Music Institute led by Director and Conductor Paul Bryan, Dean of Students and Faculty at The Curtis Institute of Music. The only year-round brass ensemble in the Philadelphia area and one of only three in the country, Bravo Brass offers the highest level of individual and ensemble training and performance opportunities for the most accomplished young brass musicians in the area.

About the PYO Music Institute

Now in its 76th year, the renowned PYO Music Institute organization, led by President and Music Director, Maestro Louis Scaglione, is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs, providing talented young musicians from across the tri-state area with exceptional musical training. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, and it is with pride that PYO Music Institute notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni.  The organization is comprised of five independent program ensembles designed to meet specific needs and experience levels of students selected through a competitive audition process. The anchor group is the PYO Music Institute (PYO), conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 125 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. Young musicians 12-18 years old are featured in PYO’s companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin, who is Music Director and Conductor of Drexel University Orchestra. Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute Dean of Faculty and Students, Paul Bryan, is an all brass ensemble for promising middle and high-school instrumentalists. PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artists ensembles provide string large ensemble and sectional master class instruction for beginning and intermediate musicians ages 6-14. The director and conductor of PRYSM is Gloria DePasquale, cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and conductor of PRSYM Young Artists is Jessica Villante. Tune Up Philly (TUP) is PYO’s engagement program, directed by Paul Smith, that focuses on the creating and inspiring true community by providing children in underserved communities with invaluable opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum. www.pyos.org.