AMERICAN YOUTH SYMPHONY INC

AMERICAN YOUTH SYMPHONY, INC. (AYS) IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHOSE MISSION IS "TO INSPIRE THE FUTURE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC." AYS ACHIEVES ITS MISSION BY PROVIDING FELLOWSHIPS TO EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG ORCHESTRAL MUSICIANS (AGES 15 AND UP) AND PRESENTING FREE CONCERTS TO THE COMMUNITY. COMPRISED OF 100 PASSIONATE AND TALENTED MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AYS IS ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST TRAINING GROUNDS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF ORCHESTRAL PROFESSIONALS. THE AYS ORCHESTRA PERFORMS WORKS ACROSS THE BREADTH OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC: CLASSIC REPERTOIRE, WORKS BY LIVING AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMPOSERS, FILM MUSIC, AND NEW WORKS COMMISSIONED BY AYS. BY PRODUCING EXCEPTIONAL AND ACCESSIBLE CONCERTS, AYS IS PROUD TO HAVE ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AUDIENCES TO BE FOUND IN CLASSICAL MUSIC TODAY. AYS MUSICIANS ARE PAID SCHOLARSHIPS TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES. THE AYS CONCERT SEASON RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH MAY AND MOST CONCERTS ARE PRESENTED AT UCLA'S ROYCE HALL. THE CONCERTS ARE OFFERED FREE TO THE COMMUNITY IN ALIGNMENT WITH AYS'S LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO ELIMINATING FINANCIAL BARRIERS THAT MIGHT RESTRICT ACCESS TO EXPERIENCING REMARKABLE ORCHESTRAL WORKS PERFORMED LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL CONCERT HALL. AYS ALSO RUNS A MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS MUSIC PROGRAMS AT TITLE-1 LAUSD MIDDLE SCHOOLS WHILE ALSO PROVIDING ORCHESTRA MEMBERS WITH VALUABLE IN-SCHOOL TEACHING EXPERIENCE.AYS' 56TH SEASON (2020/2021) WAS LED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR, CARLOS IZCARAY, ONLY THE THIRD CONDUCTOR TO HOLD THIS POSITION SINCE THE ORGANIZATION'S FOUNDING IN 1964. THE SEASON INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING PERFORMANCES (CONCERTS MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK* WERE PRESENTED FREE TO THE PUBLIC). ALL PERFORMANCES WERE VIRTUAL AND/OR PRACTICED SOCIAL DISTANCING DUE TO THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SEASON:SEPTEMBER 26, 2020*-ONE-ON-ONE ROOFTOP CONCERTS AT THE EL SEGUNDO MUSEUM OF ART (ESMOA) WITH AYS VIOLINIST ANI SINANYAN (J.S. BACH'S SONATA NO. 1 IN G; KOMITAS VARDAPET'S AL AYLUGHS) AND PRINCIPAL CELLIST, ALEX MANSOUR (MARK SUMMERS, JULIE-O; BACH, CELLO SUITE NO. 1 EXCERPTS; KODALY, SOLO CELLO SONATA EXCERPT). RECORDED AND POSTED ON YOUTUBE.NOVEMBER 1, 2020*-VIRTUAL FALL CONCERT WITH CONDUCTOR CARLOS IZCARAY: BENJAMIN BRITTEN'S VARIATIONS ON A THEME OF FRANK BRIDGE; JESSE MONGOMERY'S STARBURST; IGOR STRAVINSKY'S SYMPHONY OF WIND INSTRUMENTS; CARLOS IZCARAY'S BLOOM (WORLD PREMIERE). RECORDED AT ROYCE HALL, LIVE EVENT BROADCAST AND AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND ON YOUTUBE.DECEMBER 20, 2020*-VIRTUAL CONCERT WITH ALEX MANSOUR, PRINCIPAL CELLO, AND GALIA KASTNER, CONCERTMASTER: ALEX MANSOUR'S 1,000 CRANES (WORLD PREMIERE). ALEX MANSOUR IS THE AYS CREATIVE FELLOW. RECORDED AT ESMOA, LIVE EVENT BROADCAST AND AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND ON YOUTUBE.DECEMBER 24, 2020*-VIRTUAL ENSEMBLE WITH THE LA COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION: ALEX MANSOUR'S CANDLELIGHT. EVENT BROADCAST ON PBS SOCAL, AND POSTED ON AYS YOUTUBE.MARCH 20, 2021*-VIRTUAL CONCERT LIVESTREAM FROM ESMOA WITH DOUBLE BASSIST MOSES AUBREY, VIOLIST SARAH WILKINSON, AND CELLIST BEN SOLOMONOW. J.S. BACH'S SUITE NO. 3 IN C; FRANOIS RABBATH'S ODE D'ESPAA, MOSES AUBREY'S I ATE THAT BOTTLE; J.S. BACH'S SUITE NO. 6 IN D; LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN'S EYEGLASS DUET. LIVE EVENT BROADCAST AND AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND ON YOUTUBE.JUNE 3, 2021*-AYS 2021 VIRTUAL GALA WITH CONDUCTOR CARLOS IZCARAY: AARON COPLAND, THREE LATIN AMERICAN SKETCHES; ANNA CLYNE, WITHIN HER ARMS; JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES: SYMPHONY NO. 1; WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, SERENATA NOTTURNA. RECORDED AT ROYCE HALL, LIVE EVENT BROADCAST AND AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND ON YOUTUBE.AYS IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED AS A "GATEWAY ORCHESTRA FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS, AS WELL AS THE FIELD OF CLASSICAL MUSIC AT-LARGE. AYS ALUMNI HAVE JOINED THE FINEST ORCHESTRAS IN THE NATION, INCLUDING THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC, THE CHICAGO SYMPHONY, THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, AND THE METROPOLITAN OPERA, TO NAME A FEW. THE THREE LEADING ORCHESTRAS IN LOS ANGELES - THE LA PHILHARMONIC, THE LA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, AND THE LA OPERA - EMPLOY 39 AYS GRADUATES. ADDITIONALLY, PART OF AYS' MISSION IS TO BUILD NEW AUDIENCES FOR ALL CLASSICAL MUSIC. WHAT INITIALLY STARTS OUT AS A FREE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW MORE OFTEN THAN NOT DEVELOPS FROM THERE - VIA THE CALIBER OF AYS PERFORMANCES, A MAJESTIC CONCERT HALL, AND THE INHERENT BEAUTY AND POWER OF THIS MUSIC - INTO A SUBSTANTIVE SYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRAS AND ENSEMBLES. SUPPORTERS OF AYS NOT ONLY PROVIDE THE GIFT OF EXCEPTIONAL CONCERTS TO THE LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY, THEY ARE ALSO INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL ART FORM.