The Glendale Youth Orchestra is set to present the 35th anniversary of its season finale concert with the last symphony of Tchaikovsky at the Alex Theatre on Sunday, May 19, at 6 p.m.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 is known as the Pathétique symphony. Alongside the Tchaikovsky, opening the concert will be Strauss’ “The Blue Danube Waltz” while also featuring two young soloists who are 2024 Concerti winners, 19-year-old Nathan Scherrer of Glendale and 16-year-old Elijah Bursch of La Crescenta. Scherrer will perform the Grieg, Piano Concerto, and Bursch will perform Guilmant’s Morceau Symphonique on trombone.
“For GYO’s final concert, we chose Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony as the main feature,” said Henry Shin, music director and conductor. “In the last three years, following the COVID lockdowns, I’ve been observing our students carefully. And the biggest takeaway that I found in this time is that young people seem to be less in touch with their emotions. Constantly being in front of our computers, tablets and phones has removed all of the human-to-human interaction, which I find to be necessary in our lives.
“In the weeks of rehearsing Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony with the students, we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with one another. And by doing so, we’ve been able to create some of the most emotionally intense and heartfelt music this year,” he added.
Scherrer, an electrical and computer engineering student at the University of Southern California, has been studying trombone for nine years and piano for 13 years. Scherrer has been the Glendale Youth Orchestra bass trombonist since the fall of 2019 and was a 2023 GYO Concerto winner. He is also a graduate of Clark Magnet High School. In his free time, Scherrer participates in the USC Trojan Marching Band.
Bursch is a sophomore at Crescenta Valley High School. He has been playing the trombone for six years. Bursch has participated in many honor groups, including the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association honor bands in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and 10th grade, and the All-State Middle School Symphonic Band in eighth grade. He has also participated in multiple summer opportunities, including the Idyllwild Arts Summer Symphony, now known as the Idyllwild Arts Summer Instrumental Artists’ Intensive. He has been a member of Glendale Youth Orchestra for three years.
This concert is supported, in part, by a grant from the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.
Tickets are $18 and can be purchased from the Alex Theatre box office. Entry for students, children and seniors is $16 each.
The Alex Theatre is located at 216 North Brand Blvd. For more information, visit alextheatre.org.
First published in the May 11 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
