MANSFIELD—The talented area youth who make up the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform their Holiday Prelude concert at the Renaissance Theatre under the direction of Stephen Domka on Sunday, December 11 at 3:30 PM. The concert will mark the first MSYO holiday concert since 2019.
The concert will feature familiar holiday music, including Selections from the Nutcracker Suite by Peter Tchaikovsky (Arr. Merle Isaac); Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival; and Selections from The Polar Express, as well as Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Robert Sheldon’s Sound Innovations Fanfare.
Tickets are available at the Renaissance Box Office, by calling 419-522-2726, and online at rentickets.org. Adult tickets are $10, with student tickets priced at $5. Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra performances are presented as part of the Mechanics Bank Education Series with additional support from the Russell and Mary Gimbel Foundation.
Founded in 1982 by Ettore Chiudioni, the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) has been a part of the Mansfield community and the Renaissance since. The MSYO is made up of some of North Central Ohio’s finest musicians, primarily in high school, from a 12-county region. It is the only youth orchestra within a 65-mile radius of Mansfield and represents approximately 90 members each season who perform concerts both onstage at the Renaissance and in the community.
A vital part of the Mansfield Symphony’s Education initiative, the MYSO gives high school students an additional opportunity for musical growth by rehearsing and performing with other student musicians from the area, mainly if their high school is unable to offer a full orchestra experience. By participating in the MSYO program, students get the opportunity to perform a wide variety of fine orchestral music within a full symphony orchestra.
According to director and conductor Stephen Domka, “The Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra has been rehearsing every Monday for our upcoming Winter Concert. We have a wonderful smorgasbord of tunes ranging from traditional Christmas Songs, Selections from the classic Nutcracker Suite, and ending with selections from the holiday movie “Polar Express”!