Explore the Festival
San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony
Established in 1965, the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony provides high-quality orchestral and ensemble education and performance opportunities to local youth and reaches out to the Central Coast community by introducing new audiences of adults and children to symphonic music.
*Programming and artists subject to change, please refer to the participating organization’s calendar listing for the most up-to-date program.
Events
California Festival
The SLO Youth Symphony has commissioned a new work by a local composer and Cal Poly music professor emeritus, Dr. Craig H. Russell to perform on November 13, 2023. “Postcards from the Central Coast” presents a series of brief musical sketches of individuals who have shaped our musical world on the Central Coast.
Piece(s)/Composer(s)
POSTCARDS FROM THE CENTRAL COAST
Craig H. RUSSELL
OPENING NIGHT, 2023
Brian BALMAGES
Program Notes
Craig Russell taught at Cal Poly from 1982 to 2022 after earning his doctorate at the University of North Carolina. While at Cal Poly, he received numerous awards from the university, the California State University (CSU), and scholarly organizations throughout the world. In addition to teaching traditional courses such as Music Appreciation and Music History, he pioneered popular classes such as "The Beatles," "Music of the '60s: War and Peace," and "Popular Music Styles of Latin America."
His compositions have been performed internationally to significant acclaim. The San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra has performed Russell's concerts in Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
This original Broadway-style overture by Brian Balmages is full of energy and will transport audiences to the world of musical theater. The curtain comes up, the spotlight turns on, and the magic begins as the show finally reaches its Opening Night.