The Nation’s First Youth Orchestra, in Concert with 2024 GRAMMY award-winning Imani Winds
Posted on March 14, 2024
Featuring an all-American program of new music by GRAMMY winning composers Jessie Montgomery and Jeff Scott, plus a 1894 symphony by Amy Beach, the first American-trained woman symphonic composer
PORTLAND, OR – Established in 1924, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) is the first youth orchestra in the United States to turn 100 years old! A treasured part of America’s history, PYP will present Serenade in the Wind, a concert of all-American music at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on March 2 at 7:30 PM. The concert will open with Amy Beach’s too-long neglected romantic and harmonic Gaelic Symphony, followed by Jessie Montgomery’s delightfully exciting Strum. Then, 2024 GRAMMY award-winning, Imani Winds, will join the orchestra to perform the West Coast premiere of Jeff Scott’s Paradise Valley Serenade.
Led by Musical Director David Hattner, PYP first performed Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony in the fall of 2019. A recording of that performance, available on PYP’s popular YouTube channel, has been viewed over forty thousand times! When composing the piece nearly 130 years ago, Beach drew inspiration from English, Irish, and Scottish melodies. Sadly, this beautiful symphony was neglected for generations before it became recognized today as the masterwork it is. Hattner and the musicians of PYP find the piece’s considerable challenges worth revisiting and are thrilled to bring it back to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall stage in March for thousands more to enjoy.
Next on the program is Jessie Montgomery’s Strum for string orchestra, which shows off PYP’s powerfully precise strings. Montgomery wrote in her program note for the piece that she drew from “American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement,” giving the work a sense of “fleeting nostalgia and ecstatic celebration.”
“Jessie Montgomery is one of today’s most programmed composers,” said Hattner. “Her music is popular everywhere it is played. Strum is perfect for the tremendous string section of PYP. It’s metrical and rhythmic challenges will show off the deep musicianship of these players.”
The program closes with a stunning finale performance of Jeff Scott’s Paradise Valley Serenade, featuring Imani Winds. After a thrilling world premiere of Scott’s The Journey in Season 99, PYP is excited to perform more of his amazing music with this renowned wind ensemble described by Carnegie Hall as “groundbreaking…fearless…and vital.”
David Hattner recalls, “Jeff Scott has been a friend to PYP since he wrote a piece for our online learning initiative called Circle Dance in 2020. And when we premiered The Journey in 2023, it quickly became a favorite of both PYP musicians and our audience. We welcome Imani Winds, (which Jeff, playing French horn, helped start in 1997) as the brilliant soloists on this collaboration.”
Inspired by the Paradise Theatre, which had a home in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Paradise Valley, Detroit, until 1951, Scott weaves the tale of a once-thriving African American community that was “razed in favor of ‘urban renewal’ projects in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s.” (Jeff Scott).
In their acceptance speech at the 2024 GRAMMY awards, Monica Ellis, the bassoonist in Imani Winds, said, “We’ve been doing this for 27 years—celebrating Black excellence in classical music.”
When asked what they were most looking forward to about this collaboration, Kevin Newton, the French hornist of Imani Winds, said, “I am excited to experience the energy the Portland Youth Philharmonic will bring to Jeff Scott’s rich and evocative music. Personally, it is an honor to highlight the stories of the Black Bottom community. So many communities built during the Great Migration have been lost and with them the stories of those African Americans who sacrificed everything for a shot at the American dream.”
With 100 years of thoughtful training, challenging, and rewarding compositions, and striving for musical excellence, the musicians of the Philharmonic Orchestra continue to perform at a level rivaling many of their professional counterparts. Experience the inspiration, determination, and skill of this orchestra for yourself on March 2. Then, join them again later in the season for two more magical concerts, in May, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
In-person individual tickets start at $18 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $8 for students. Livestream passes are $13. To reserve tickets in your favorite section, and learn more about PYP’s upcoming concerts, composers, and musicians, please visit portlandyouthphil.org/concerts.
Portland Youth Philharmonic Season 100 (2023-2024)
Summary of Event:
Who: Portland Youth Philharmonic, conducted by Musical Director David Hattner
What: Serenade in the Wind, featuring guest artists, Imani Winds
When: Saturday, March 2 | 7:30 PM
Where: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205)
Tickets:
• $18 starting; student/senior/group discounts available
• $5 Arts for All tickets
• Livestream: $13
Program:
• Amy Beach: Gaelic Symphony
• Jessie Montgomery: Strum for String Orchestra
• Jeff Scott: Paradise Valley Serenade
Program Sponsor: Arima Schumann Fund
Concert Co-Sponsors: Marcus and Ruth Leupold Fund, Shane Weisman of Ameriprise Financial, and Leupold & Stevens Foundation
Guest artist sponsors: Marypat and Steve Hedberg, Hallowed Halls, and Noreen Murdock and Grant Linsell
Portland Youth Philharmonic
Portland Youth Philharmonic prepares young people for success through musical excellence. PYP is a vibrant community of over 300 young people who explore their passion for music and grow as individuals while making lifelong friendships. The orchestra’s tradition of excellence in education and performance dates to its founding in 1924.
Hear PYP for yourself at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall or at any time on their popular YouTube channel.
David Hattner, PYP Musical Director
David is only the fifth Musical Director in the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s 100-year history, and he is the first to be born in the United States. Former music critic for The Oregonian, David Stabler, commented that under Hattner’s baton the orchestra “Roared like a Maserati!”
Also a noted clarinetist, David Hattner has regularly been featured in recital on All Classical Radio’s Thursdays @ Three. He has appeared recently with Chamber Music Northwest. He served as the principal clarinetist of the Princeton Symphony, New Jersey Opera Theater, and the Cascade Festival of Music. He has also played with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Oregon American, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras, as well as Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra.
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