An Evening with PORTLAND YOUTH PHIL & IMANI WINDS Celebrating 100 years!

To honor their centennial celebration, the Portland Youth Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes GRAMMY-WINNING “groundbreaking…fearless…vital” (Carnegie Hall) Imani Winds to perform Jeff Scott’s Paradise Valley Serenade, a brand-new work for wind quintet and orchestra recently premiered by the winds of the Detroit Symphony.

Also on the program is Amy Beach’s too-long neglected romantic and harmonic Gaelic Symphony, which draws inspiration from English, Irish, and Scottish melodies. We will also hear Jessie Montgomery’s delightfully exciting Strum for string orchestra, which will show off the powerful string section and have audiences clamoring for more of this rhythmically compelling work.

The collaboration between this exceptional youth orchestra and the dynamic ensemble Imani Winds, combined with the diverse and engaging program, ensures that this concert is an event not to be missed!

PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC

PYP is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States. The structure and standards that it established for training young musicians in the 1920s became the prototype for youth orchestras across the country.

In 1924, a group of visionary citizens established the Portland Junior Symphony Association (later renamed the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association or PYP for short). Building on the pioneering work of Mary V. Dodge, whose Irvington School Orchestra was the nucleus of the first Junior Symphony, the Association engaged Russian émigré Jacques Gershkovitch as conductor.

Over the years, thousands of young musicians have played in one or more of PYP’s ensembles. Some have gone on to professional careers in orchestras across the country, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, as well as Juilliard and American String Quartets. Others have achieved great success in teaching music or exploring non-musical fields, while continuing to be accomplished amateur musicians and active supporters of the arts in their communities. Alumni often attribute much of their success in life to the discipline and teamwork they experienced as members of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. The orchestra has lead the way with commissioning new music and this exciting program reflects this.

David Hattner, Musical Director – Portland Youth Philharmonic

Conductor David Hattner delivers “calmly authoritative” (The New York Times) performances that are “brilliant in all departments.” (The Chicago Tribune) Hattner’s high musical intelligence and phenomenal technique uniquely combine with a warm and cooperative disposition, allowing for an ease of execution which imbues confidence and expands possibilities. Although he is energetic and animated, an inner calm and polish characterizes Hattner’s presence on the podium, leading to concert experiences that are truly magical.

Imani Winds 

Brandon Patrick George, flute | Mekhi Gladden, oboe | Mark Dover, clarinet | Kevin Newton, French horn | Monica Ellis, bassoon

No other quintet has forged such a unique and revolutionary path through the chamber music landscape as the Imani Winds. The ensemble embraces traditional chamber music repertoire while remaining devoutly committed to promoting diversity in the arts. Celebrating over two decades of music making, Imani Winds is recognized for its dynamic playing, adventurous programming, outreach endeavors, and efforts to commission works from new voices that reflect historical events and today’s world. The program features the diversity of American composers and includes a Kennedy Center co-commission by Shawn Okpebholo.

Conductor David Hattner delivers “calmly authoritative” (The New York Times)

Performances that are “brilliant in all departments” (The Chicago Tribune)