Oakland East Bay Symphony: 'Celebrating Youth' February 27, 2009

Oakland East Bay Symphony (OEBS) will present a concert dedicated to Celebrating Youth. The concert will showcase the Oakland Youth Orchestra (OYO) playing side-by-side with the Symphony in a double orchestra performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." The evening will also include the winner of the 2008 OEBS Young Artist Competition Jeremiah Campbell, and a performance of Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, the "Scottish." Music Director Michael Morgan and OEBS are well regarded for their commitment to providing music education in the public schools and encouraging the development of young East Bay artists.

At the core of this concert will be cellist Campbell, age 19, the winner of the Symphony's 2008 Young Artist Competition, in a performance of Samuel Barber's "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra." Campbell has studied cello for the past ten years at the Crowden School in Berkeley, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and currently at the Juilliard School. Campbell served as principal cellist of the San Francisco Youth Orchestra for the 2007-08 season as well as a tour of Germany and the Czech Republic, performing at venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie and the Gasteig (Munich). He is currently principal cellist with the Juilliard Orchestra and has performed in venues across the U.S. and Europe. He has been awarded top prizes from ASCAP and the Pacific Music Society.

All of the composers featured in this concert displayed their musical acumen in their youth. Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, the "Scottish," is so named because it was inspired by his trip to Scotland in 1829. The finished symphony was dedicated to Queen Victoria and received its premiere in 1843. Barber's "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra" was created for Russian cellist Raya Garbousova in 1946. The concerto won Barber the New York Music Critics' Circle Award. Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture premiered in 1882 and commemorated Russia's victory over France.

$20 to $65.

Official Website: http://www.oebs.org