PRYSM - 7th Annual Festival Concert - PYO Music Institute

The 76 gifted young violin, viola, cello and bass players in PYO Music Institute’s PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM-YA (PRYSM Young Artists) ensembles raise their bows for the final performance of the season at the seventh annual PRYSM Festival Concert, Saturday, May 17 at 3 p.m. in Centennial Hall at the Haverford School in Haverford, PA.  General admission tickets are $10, with no charge for children 13 and under; for information, call 215-545-0502.  PRYSM and its companion program PRYSM Young Artists are directed by Gloria dePasquale, and form the all-string branch of the highly regarded PYO Music Institute organization led by Louis Scaglione.

The audience will be treated to a phenomenal string symphony designed to highlight skills these talented young instrumentalists, ages 6-16, have been honing since rehearsals began in September. The PRYSM program offers the region’s highest level of orchestral string instruction from the area’s most respected professional string musicians and educators. Mrs. dePasquale, also a cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, oversees both ensembles and is the conductor of PRYSM; PRYSM-YA is conducted by Jessica Villante.

The Festival’s musical program consists of professionally arranged works that reflect the challenging repertoire practiced all year by the two ensembles.  Selections include PRYSM’s performance of Mozart’s  Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and Jazz Pizzicato by Leroy Anderson; Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite for String Orchestra  played by PRYSM-YA; and a joint performance of selections from Don Quixote Suite by Phillip Telemann and Allegro Giocoso from Symphony No. 4 by Johannes Brahms. The ensembles recently had the opportunity to practice several of these pieces at a special side-by-side rehearsal and instructional performance with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra—one of the many notable opportunities provided by the PYO Music Institute.