Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Concert: Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra & Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

BOSTON, MA--The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), composed of some of the Northeast’s top musicians age 12-21, performs Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 on Friday, March 10, 2023, in person at Symphony Hall, under the direction of Conductor Benjamin Zander. A live stream is also available.

Since he’s celebrating his 84^th birthday the day before, Maestro Zander wanted a program that is both energetic and exuberant. He considers Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra to be the ultimate test of an orchestra’s virtuosity and artistry, much like it did when the Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered it in 1943.

Although the Concerto is almost always the final work on any program, Zander chose Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony to conclude the concert. The audience favorite is also often regarded as one of the most hackneyed pieces in the entire repertory. Yet Zander’s take on the piece, which he has performed many times all over the world, is bracing and fresh.

“Bartok’s Concerto is virtually a catalog of all that the modern orchestra is capable, but Tchaikovsky’s deeply emotional Fifth Symphony presents yet another huge challenge to a youth orchestra,” says Zander.

Ticket Information

Tickets are $60.00, $40.00, $20.00, and $10 for students. The live stream is $20 for general admission, $10 for students, and $40 for supporters. Subscriptions packages are also available. View tickets and subscriptions at www.bostonphil.org or by calling 617-236-0999. View ticket policies at https://www.bostonphil.org/concerts/ticket-policies. Currently Symphony Hall does not require proof of vaccination, a negative Covid test result, or masks, although masks are recommended. For up-to-the-minute coronavirus updates visit https://www.bostonphil.org/concerts/experience/virus.

About the Boston Philharmonic

Founded by Benjamin Zander in 1979 and still under his leadership, the Boston Philharmonic is composed of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), and its robust series of Crescendo Education and Community Engagement programs. Its mission is to share the vibrancy of classical music with new and existing audiences, aspiring to expand the limits of possibility to reinvigorate the classical music experience for audiences and players alike.

As one of Boston’s premier orchestras, the BPO features professional, student and amateur musicians who perform inspiring renditions of celebrated masterworks in Boston’s most storied concert halls. The BPYO offers year-long, tuition-free orchestral and leadership training at the highest level for talented musicians between age 12 and 21. The Crescendo Education and Community Engagement programs provide high quality music education for children who would otherwise not have access, often serving the most disadvantaged, at-risk, and under-resourced children in the city.

About Benjamin Zander

For more than 50 years, Benjamin Zander has occupied a unique place as a master teacher, a deeply insightful and probing interpreter, and a profound source of inspiration for audiences, as well as students, professional musicians, corporate leaders, politicians, and more. He has persistently engaged some of the most well-informed musical and public intellectuals in a quest for insight and understanding into the Western musical canon and the underlying religious, social, and political issues that inspired its creation.

For more than 25 years, Zander has also enjoyed a unique relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a series of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies. High Fidelity named the recording of Mahler’s 6^th as Best Classical Recording of 2002; the 3^rd was awarded Critic’s Choice by the German Record Critics; and Mahler 9^th and 2^nd and Bruckner’s 5^th recordings were all nominated for Grammy Awards.

Zander enjoys an international career as a leadership speaker, with several keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at TED. His best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, co-authored with his former wife and leading psychotherapist Rosamund Zander, has been translated into 18 languages.

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