PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) Winter Concert - 02.06.16 - PYO Music Institute

PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 20, 2016) – The talented string musicians in PYO Music Institute’s PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM-YA (PRYSM Young Artists) are showcased at their winter concert on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 3 p.m. It will be held in Centennial Hall at the Haverford School in Haverford, PA.  General admission tickets are $15. For information, call 215-545-0502.

PRYSM is under the direction of Conductor Gloria dePasquale, who joined The Philadelphia Orchestra’s cello section in 1977 at the invitation of Eugene Ormandy.  PRYSM Young Artists is conducted by Jessica Villante. The two ensembles will perform Sibelius’ Andante Festivo; Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a; Anderson’s Jazz Pizzicato and the Bailes para Orquesta by Richard Meyer, featuring solo violinists Fiyi (PYO) and Jolade Adebekun (PYAO) who are both alums of PRYSM.

Each year the students of PRSYM and PRYSM-YA demonstrate their dedication to classical music and to performing at their best. Gloria dePasquale said recently, “The PRYSM string orchestra students always exceed expectations in their accomplishments, tackling core repertoire and making it their own with enthusiasm and polish. The concert is always a wonderful surprise of their dedication, hard work, and sheer joy.”

About PRYSM:

PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) is a string music education program created in 2007 to offer a unique introduction and preparation for string students to acquire and build skills. PRYSM and PRYSM Young Artists provide string ensemble and sectional master class instruction for intermediate and beginning students in and around the mainline, with rehearsals hosted at Bryn Mawr College. Graduates of PRYSM have matriculated successfully into other PYO organization ensembles. Co-founded by the late William dePasquale, Co-Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, PRYSM is directed by Co-founding Director, Gloria dePasquale, current cellist for The Philadelphia Orchestra.

About the PYO Music Institute:

Now in its 76th year, the renowned PYO Music Institute organization, led by President and Music Director 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 notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni.  The organization is comprised of five independent 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) ensemble, conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 125 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. Young musicians 10-18 years old are featured in the PYO’s companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin. Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute Dean of Faculty and Students, Paul Bryan, is an all brass ensemble for promising high-school instrumentalists. PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artists ensembles provide string 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 the organization’s after-school program, directed by Paul Smith, that offers musical instruments and instruction to children in economically challenged areas of Philadelphia.  www.pyos.org.