Red Gala fundraiser features Grammy-Award-winning musician Mark O’Connor Some of the North Bay’s most talented young musicians are readying for a rumble: it’s classical violin meets all- American fiddle, and a “landmark moment” for young Napa Valley musicians. Napa Valley Youth Symphony, Northern California’s premiere orchestra for young musicians, is pleased to announce that Grammy-award-winning composer and legendary violinist Mark O’Connor will perform both solo and with the student orchestra on May 25, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The Red Gala Concert and Fundraiser will be presented in the recently reopened Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater in Yountville. Mark O’Connor is a renowned musical innovator, whose 40 albums and CDs redefine swing, folk, jazz and classical styles. He has performed with the Boston Pops, collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and enthralled audiences in concert halls and at festivals across the country and around the world. His concerto “Fanfare for the Volunteer” was recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The Los Angeles Times calls O’Connor “one of the most talented and imaginative artists working in music—any music—today.” “The students and I are excited about working with the enormously talented Mark O’Connor, and the audience is in for a real treat!” says Napa Valley Youth Symphony Artistic Director Ming Luke. “It’s a landmark moment for the students and audience alike to be part of this musical merger between Old and New World styles through the genius of Mark O’Connor. We are all really looking forward to it,” said Matt Eisenberg, President of the NVYS Board. Organizers of the charity event to benefit the Youth Symphony have created several ticket categories. To attend the concert only with an opportunity to bid on an array of silent auction lots, tickets are available for $25, $50 and $75 through the Lincoln Theater website at www.lincolntheater.com. The concert will also feature a heartwarming tribute to out-going musical director Ming Luke as well as founding members Steve Herber and Grant Showley. Napa Valley Youth Symphony is an award-winning youth orchestra, providing the highest level of musical training to young musicians and offering them the opportunity to enrich their lives and the community by performing seasonal full-length concerts and to tour both nationally and internationally. Having just returned from Central Europe last summer, the Youth Symphony is planning a tour of China in the summer of 2014. The proceeds of this Red Gala will help support tour costs and scholarships for students in need. For information on the Napa Valley Youth Symphony and the Red Gala, visit: www.nvyso.org and www.redgala.org 70 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine. c om Jonah Eisenberg, photo by Bronk Studio. Keep it
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