Fall Concert

String and Wind Ensembles

Join us on November 22 as the California Youth Symphony String and Wind Ensembles kick off their 2026–27 season with an exhilarating program that showcases the extraordinary breadth of the CYS ensemble program! Spanning more than two centuries of musical history, this vibrant concert brings all four ensembles to the stage in a sweeping journey from masterworks by Mozart and Beethoven to dynamic, cutting-edge music of today.

String Ensemble Director Kati Kyme leads the Intermezzi String Ensemble in a delightful lineup featuring Vivaldi, Mussorgsky, and one of classical music’s most famous treasures, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Though entered into Mozart’s personal catalog in August 1787, the work remains shrouded in double mystery: its original occasion and patron are entirely unknown, and its listed fifth movement—a lost Minuet and Trio—has vanished for over two centuries.

The musical journey continues with Ms. Kyme and the Virtuosi String Ensemble, presenting works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvořák. Highlights include the spirited finale of Dvořák’s beloved "American" String Quartet, composed during a blissful summer retreat in Spillville, Iowa, where the warmth of the local Czech community inspired some of the most joyful music of his American years.

Bringing the afternoon into the modern era, Anthony Lanzino conducts the Chamber Winds in a high-energy set by PinkZebra, Mark Lortz, and JaRod Hall. Hall’s Spiritus Invictus ("Invincible Spirit") stands out as a compact, sub-two-minute fanfare that utilizes rich middle-voice colors to propel its energetic themes forward.

Finally, Mr. Lanzino leads the CYS Wind Ensemble through contemporary works by Randall Standridge and Joshua Idio before turning to a timeless masterpiece: the haunting Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. First premiered in Vienna in 1813 at a benefit for wounded soldiers, this unforgettable movement captivated its very first audience so deeply that they demanded an immediate encore—beginning a legacy of popularity that endures to this day. 

Concert Highlights

Intermezzi Strings - Kati Kyme, conductor
Vivaldi: “Allegro” from Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor
Mozart: “Allegro” from Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525
Mussorgsky: Hopak

Virtuosi Strings - Kati Kyme, conductor
Beethoven: “Allegro con brio” from String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1
Dvořák: “Finale” from String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 (“American”)
Mozart: Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio, K. 384

Chamber Winds - Anthony Lanzino, conductor
Hall: Spiritus Invictus
Lortz: Moving at the Speed of Sound
PinkZebra: Resilience

Wind Ensemble - Anthony Lanzino, conductor
Beethoven: “Allegretto” from Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Idio: Aviators
Standridge: Groovitude