PYP PRESENTS 57TH ANNUAL CONCERT-AT-CHRISTMAS, A PORTLAND TRADITION SINCE 1961

Posted on November 27, 2018

PYP presents 57th annual Concert-at-Christmas, a Portland tradition since 1961

PORTLAND, OR – Hearing is believing! Portland Youth Philharmonic presents Concert-at-Christmas: Thunder and Lightning on Wednesday, December 26, 2018, at 7:30 PM in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. A Portland tradition since 1961, PYP’s 57th annual Concert-at-Christmas gives music lovers of all ages a chance to unwind after the holidays at its annual family reunion.

This fun-for-the-whole-family concert features performances by the Portland Youth Philharmonic, as well as PYP’s Wind Ensemble, Conservatory Orchestra, Young String Ensemble, and an Alumni Orchestra. The popular event showcases Portland Youth Philharmonic’s entire roster of nearly 300 musicians, as well as alumni spanning much of the organization’s 95-year history. Performers will range in age from 7 to 80.

Speaking of his arrival in Portland 10 years ago to become PYP’s Musical Director David Hattner told KBOO’s Ken Jones in October, “Before I started conducting, on day one, I wanted to learn the history of the orchestra. I learned as much as I could reading books and meeting the longest serving Musical Director, Jacob Avshalomov, who was still living when I first moved here. His steel trap memory and artifacts that he kept in his home were a great resource for me… Currently, the important thing is to respect the traditions, especially in terms of keeping the quality of the music making, while steering the repertoire into areas that I think are important for the musicians to know.”

Portland’s locally-grown ensemble since 1924 will present a diverse program including Strauss’s Thunder and Lightning Polka, Rossini’s popular William Tell Overture, John Williams’s Superman March, and much more.

Tickets start at just $5 and are on sale now at portlandyouthphil.org/concerts.