1:00 PM Coda Concert
String Ensembles and Associate Orchestra

CYS will present its final season concert featuring both the Associate Orchestra and the Virtuosi and Intermezzi String Ensembles at 1:00 PM on May 18 at Smithwick Theater, Foothill College. Maestra Kati Kyme will conduct works by Gabriel Fauré, C.P.E. Bach, and Joseph Haydn with the Virtuosi String Ensemble. Haydn composed his Symphony No. 45 in 1768 during his “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Stress) period, and it carries the subtitle “La Passione”. The Intermezzi Strings will perform works by Mozart and Schubert, as well as selections from Gustav Holst’s St. Paul Suite.

The Holst work takes its name from St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, London, where the composer served as the school’s “music master” for 29 years. The Suite is one of many compositions that Holst wrote for the school’s students.

The Associate Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Leo Eylar, will finish off its season with a panoply of scintillating works from a wide range of genres and composers. We are delighted to feature AO Concerto Competition winner Hailey Lam, violin, who will perform Fritz Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro, as well as the Associate Orchestra’s percussion section directed by CYS Percussion Director Artie Storch in Frank Halferty’s Street Dance. The Associate Orchestra will perform Joe Hisaishi’s Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke, the Russian Sailor’s Dance from Rheihold Gliere’s ballet The Red Poppy, and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Marche militaire française from his Suite algérienne. Our closing work for the season is George Chadwick’s “Jubilee” from his Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra, completed in 1904. Together with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, Chadwick emerged as a leading figure among the American composers of the late 19th century’s Second New England School. His compositions bear the influence of the Realist movement in the arts, which is known for its authentic and unembellished portrayal of everyday life. “Jubilee” is prefaced by these lines in the score:
 

No cool gray tones for me!

Give me the warmest red and green,

A cornet and a tambourine,

To paint my Jubilee!
 

For when pale flutes and oboes play,

To sadness I become a prey;

Give me the violets and the May,

But no gray skies for me.
 

A perfect send-off for our May concert! Don’t miss this eclectic and tuneful final performance of the season!

Concert Highlights

Intermezzi Strings
Gustav Holst: Jig from St. Paul's Suite
Mozart: Fugue from Quartet, K. 163
Schubert: Finale-Presto from Quartet in D, D94

Virtuosi Strings
Gabriel Fauré: Sicilienne
C.P.E. Bach: Allegretto from Symphony no. 5 in B minor
Haydn: Allegro di Molto from Symphony no. 49, "La Passione"

Associate Orchestra
Hisaishi: "The Legend of Ashitaka" from Princess Mononoke
Gliere: Russian Sailor's Dance
Kreisler: Praeludium and Allegro
Chadwick: Symphonic Sketches
Halferty: Street Dance (Featuring the Associate Orchestra Percussion Section)
Saint-Saëns: Marche Militaire Francaise

Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition Winners

Minseok Moon is a 17-year-old saxophonist attending Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California. He has studied saxophone and clarinet under Philip Halseth for six years. Minseok joined the California Youth Symphony in 2022, serving as principal saxophonist since 2023. He was also selected for the California All-State and Northern California Honor Band in 2022 and 2024. Minseok placed 1st in the Great Composer Competition, the San Francisco Innovative International Music Competition in 2024, and the American Protege International Music Talent Competition in 2025. He was also selected to perform at the 2025 Junior Bach Festival. He plays in the Amador Valley High School Wind and Jazz Ensembles. As vice president of Tri-Valley Symphonics, a music storytelling ensemble, he has performed various music to engage local children in the community.

Hailey Lam, Age 10, is a 5th grader at Rancho Romero Elementary School. She began violin lessons at age 5 and is currently studying under Zhao Wei. She has won numerous solo competitions including the Canadian International Music Competition, the Opus Music Foundation Competition, the American Young Musician Award, and the European Odin International Music Competition. Hailey also performed with Taichung Youth Orchestra in Taiwan. Hailey joined CYS in 2021. Besides music, she also enjoys swimming, traveling, and reading. 

Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition

California Youth Symphony's annual CONCERTO COMPETITION for the Associate Orchestra offers its current students a special challenge and an opportunity for public recognition. All students in the Associate Orchestra are encouraged to compete.