PORTLAND YOUTH PHILHARMONIC PRESENTS THEIR MARCH CONCERT, BRIMMING WITH NEW & UNKNOWN WORKS!
Posted on February 3, 2023
PYP’s Winter Concert will also feature a special performance by the 2022 Concerto Competition Winner and double bassist, Maggie Carter.
This concert is sponsored by EyeHealth Northwest
PORTLAND, OR – Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP), the country’s longest running youth orchestra, amplifies new voices in music on March 4 at 7:30 PM PT. Join the Philharmonic Orchestra at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for the exciting USA premiere of Ruth Gipps’s Symphony No. 3 and a gripping world premiere of a piece by French hornist Jeff Scott, which he says is “almost cinematic in the attempt to draw upon feelings of drama, humor, longing, and elation!” Patrons will also be amazed by PYP bassist and 2022 Concerto Competition Winner Maggie Carter in a special performance of Frank Proto’s A Carmen Fantasy, which features favorite melodies from one of the world’s most popular operas – Bizet’s Carmen.
“Our Winter concert is filled with a grand orchestral palette of symphonic proportions with thematic ties between the movements and a full use of all the pieces of the orchestra,” stated PYP Musical Director David Hattner. “I really wanted to be the first American orchestra to perform Ruth Gipps’s Symphony No. 3. Her music is having a renaissance and I gravitated towards Gipps’s third symphony because it’s probably the most ambitious of her five symphonies. It’s very interesting and beautifully orchestrated.”
Neglected during her lifetime, Ruth Gipps is now considered one of England’s greatest symphonic composers, and PYP can’t wait to be the first United States orchestra to perform this work on stage.
Another lesser-known piece on the program is Frank Proto’s A Carmen Fantasy for double bass and orchestra to be performed by PYP’s 2022 Concerto Competition Winner, Maggie Carter, who Hattner refers to as “a brilliant soloist.”
“PYP has been a huge part of my life for the past eight years and winning [the 2022 Concerto Competition] has been a goal that I have worked towards,” said Maggie Carter when asked about her win. “I have deep connections with [A Carmen Fantasy] dating back half a decade and I love it far more than any of the other existing bass concertos…It’s so exciting and meaningful to now finally be able to represent PYP as a soloist, and I’m looking forward to this opportunity to share the beauty of the bass as a solo instrument with a large audience.”
Also on the program is the world premiere of an untitled piece by French hornist Jeff Scott. In a unique effort to inspire free thinking in music, Scott has asked the musicians of PYP to name this piece based on their experience playing it, prior to the March 4 concert.
“I always wanted to have more autonomy in music. I grew up listening to the blues, jazz, soul, gospel, and I always told my mother that I was going to be the Michael Jackson of French horn because it was the music that I loved,” Scott laughed. “As much as I also loved classical music and the study of it, when it came to playing in band and youth symphony, the music that I loved never reached that stage and I always wanted more autonomy to sing the soundtrack of my life. So, I thought about that when I was asked by David Hattner to write this piece – that I wanted to give the kids some autonomy.”
The creation of this piece was a part of a larger collaboration with Hattner and the PYP musicians, who were presented with the opportunity to send suggestions to Scott about what melodies they like, what inspires them, and what gets them excited about performing. Scott said they wanted him to incorporate influences from Bach, from Fantasia, even from Spider Man, and this piece really reflects that marriage between current popular music and classical themes.
“I think everyone should come to this concert for many reasons, one being that they may never have the chance to hear these works performed live again, at least not in the near future,” Hattner exclaimed! “People should also come to meet Jeff, hear his music, and as a thank you for what he’s continuing to do for music through this piece.”
Tickets are on sale now! In-person tickets start at $15 for students/seniors, $20 for adults, and passes for the professionally produced livestream are $13. To learn more about the concert, musical artists, and to purchase tickets, visit portlandyouthphil.org/concerts; in-person tickets may also be purchased at the venue door.