Hochstein Performances in February

Joint Concert by Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia Features Music by Mozart, Dai Wei, Gade, and Brahms, and Selections from Movie Scores to Harry Potter, The Sea Hawk, and E.T.

February 11 concert in Hochstein Performance Hall

ROCHESTER, N.Y.— On Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2:00 pm in Hochstein Performance Hall, the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra (HYSO), directed by Casey Springstead, and Hochstein Philharmonia Orchestra (HPO), directed by John Fetter and Matt Osika, perform a joint winter concert. See below for a calendar listing of upcoming Hochstein events.

This concert will also be live streamed on Hochstein’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/hochsteinschool.

In the first half of the concert, HPO performs Korngold’s swashbuckling orchestral suite for the movie The Sea Hawk with Errol Flynn; the second movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 3; and The Complete Harry Potter, with themes from all eight movies.

Then, the HYSO takes the stage to perform the Overture to Mozart’s The Magic Flute, unique in being Mozart’s only purely instrumental work that uses trombones. That is followed by The Dancing Moonlight, an energetic work composed for Chinese New Year in 2017 by the Chinese-born contemporary composer Dai Wei.

HYSO Concerto Competition Winner Noah Busch of Brighton is featured in the first movement of the Violin Concerto in D Minor by Niels Gade, widely regarded as Denmark’s most important composer from the mid-Romantic period. The concert closes with the HYSO performing the exciting fourth movement of the orchestral arrangement of Brahms’ Piano Quartet in G Minor and “Adventures on Earth” from John Williams’s soundtrack to the movie E.T.

Noah Busch, a sophomore at Brighton High School, has been playing violin since the age of 3 and currently studies with Dr. Pia Liptak at The Hochstein School. He has participated in numerous NYSSMA All-County Orchestras (being named concertmaster twice) and Area All-State Orchestras, as well as the Chicago International Violin Competition and Manolov International Violin and Piano Competition. A member of HYSO since seventh grade, Noah has played in every Hochstein youth orchestral ensemble and has played in Hochstein chamber ensembles since the age of 9. Noah has been a Merit Scholar at Hochstein on numerous occasions and is on track to complete the Honors Certificate Program. He was honored to perform at the reopening of the Hochstein Performance Hall in 2022. Noah is grateful for being able to play on a Franz Kinberg violin, an instrument generously loaned to him for the concert by Payton Violins.

The HYSO Concerto Competition held a very competitive round of auditions in November, with Noah Busch selected as one of three winners. In May, violinist Mia Sakonju will perform the third movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Minor and cellist Joanna Frank performs the first movement of Elgar’s Concerto for Cello in E Minor. Special thanks to the HYSO Concerto Competition judges for their time and expertise: Joe Werner, Hochstein Faculty and Director of Piano, Roberts Wesleyan University; Rebecca Gilbert, Principal Flutist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Nazareth University Faculty; and Janet Ying, Associate Professor of String Chamber Music, Eastman School of Music, and a member of the Ying Quartet.

The 81-member Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra is a full orchestra for advanced strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion, directed by Casey Springstead. This year, there are students from 29 different schools, plus homeschooled students, from around the Rochester area and beyond who come together on Saturday mornings for an accelerated musical experience. The HYSO presents three concerts per year along with periodic international tours. Since 2000, the HYSO has performed in cities in Spain, Portugal, Austria, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Ireland. The orchestra will tour Italy in Spring 2024.

The third level of Hochstein’s orchestral program, Hochstein Philharmonia Orchestra is the first full orchestral (winds/brass/strings/percussion) experience students receive at Hochstein. Students learn intermediate to advanced repertoire while refining their orchestral technique.

The Hochstein Orchestra and Chamber Music Programs are supported in part by the Louise Alfreda Hill Memorial Fund.

Hochstein programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Hochstein programs are also made possible by the Monroe County Legislature; Adam Bello, Monroe County Executive.

About Hochstein: The Hochstein School is a vibrant organization in Rochester, NY, offering high-quality instruction in music, dance, and Expressive Arts (music, art, and dance therapy). Established in 1920 to commemorate the artistry, life, and service of David Hochstein – a prodigious violinist who died serving in World War I – the School welcomes students of all ages, abilities, proficiency levels, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds in an inclusive and accessible environment that provides artistic opportunities for all. More than 100 years after its founding, Hochstein annually serves more than 3,500 students from a 12-county region surrounding Rochester. The School is active throughout the community and provides tuition assistance to more than 50% of its students. The acclaimed Hochstein Performance Hall, located within the school’s historic downtown building, hosts concerts and events throughout the year. For more information, visit www.hochstein.org.

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CALENDAR LISTINGS

Please visit the Hochstein website at https://hochstein.org/Calendar for more information.

Hochstein Youth Wind Symphony Concert

Saturday, February 10, 2024; 7:30 pm; Hochstein Performance Hall; free

The Hochstein Youth Wind Symphony, directed by John Rolland, presents a winter concert of wind band music. Hochstein’s Youth Wind Symphony features wind, percussion, and brass players in grades 9–12. The ensemble meets for six weeks in January and February to prepare music for this concert.

The featured work on the program is Songs of Sailor and Sea by Robert W. Smith, which celebrates man’s eternal fascination with the sea and the centuries of seamen who have battled its powerful waves and mysterious depths. The program also includes Percy Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry, John Philip Sousa’s The Corcoran Cadets, Illumination by David Maslanka, and Four Dance Episodes by Gary Gilroy.

The concert will also be live streamed on Hochstein’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/hochsteinschool.

HYSO & Philharmonia in Concert

Sunday, February 11, 2024; 2:00 pm; Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 North Plymouth Avenue, Rochester NY 14614; tickets at the door: $5 general admission

Musicians from the 81-member Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra (HYSO), directed by Casey Springstead, and Hochstein Philharmonia Orchestra (HPO), directed by John Fetter and Matt Osika, perform a joint concert. In the first half of the concert, HPO performs Korngold’s swashbuckling orchestral suite for the movie The Sea Hawk; the second movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 3; and The Complete Harry Potter, with themes from all eight movies.

Then the HYSO performs works by Mozart, Dai Wei, and Brahms and “Adventures on Earth” from John Williams’s soundtrack to the movie E.T. Hochstein Concerto Competition winner Noah Busch is featured in the first movement of the Violin Concerto in D Minor by Niels Gade.

The concert will also be live streamed on Hochstein’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/hochsteinschool.