Greenville County Youth Orchestra (GCYO) is launching a vibrant three‑concert season that brings local student musicians together with distinguished professional artists. All performances will be held at the Peace Center Concert Hall, underscoring the orchestra’s commitment to high‑quality music education for Greenville families.
Season lineup highlights
The season opens on November 18 with a Fall Concert that showcases all four GCYO ensembles—Prelude, Intermezzo, Philharmonic and the Young Artist Orchestra. More than 200 student musicians are expected to take the stage.
Professional vocalists John and Shannon Dooley, a husband‑and‑wife duo, will join the Young Artist Orchestra to perform opera favorites, including arias from Mozart’s *The Marriage of Figaro* and *Don Giovanni*, Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro,” and selections from *The Magic Flute*. The orchestra will also present Mozart’s *The Impresario* overture and the first movement of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony.
Renowned violinist joins for March concert
On March 9, internationally acclaimed violinist Ida Kavafian will appear as a guest soloist for Max Bruch’s *Scottish Fantasy*. Kavafian, a longtime faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music, brings a distinguished chamber‑music career and extensive solo‑performance experience to Greenville.
Music director Neil Casey said, “It’s part of our mission to expose young people to great professional musicians.” He added that inviting an artist of Kavafian’s stature reflects the orchestra’s ambition to provide inspirational experiences for its students.
First education concert
The March 9 program also introduces GCYO’s inaugural education concert, titled “Why Play an Instrument,” scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The free performance is designed for fourth‑ and fifth‑grade students who may soon begin studying an instrument in Greenville County Schools. Kavafian will perform an excerpt from *Scottish Fantasy*, giving young listeners a rare opportunity to hear a world‑class violinist live.
Season finale
The season concludes on April 14 with a combined performance by all four ensembles and the winner of GCYO’s annual concerto competition. The finale will feature Respighi’s towering *Pines of Rome*, with antiphonal brass positioned in the balcony to create an immersive soundscape.
Neil Casey, who also teaches strings at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, describes himself as someone who “likes to dream big.” This season’s blend of professional collaboration, educational outreach, and ambitious repertoire exemplifies that vision.
What: Greenville County Youth Orchestra Fall Concert
When: Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.; March 9, 10:30 a.m.; Apr. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Peace Center Concert Hall, 300 S. Main St., Greenville
Tickets: $11–$33
Info: 864‑467‑3000 or peacecenter.org
Original reporting: Greenville Journal — read the source article.
