Empire State Youth Orchestra in Bratislava

PROGRAMME

Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881) / orch. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Scherzo in B-flat major

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)
Adagio for Orchestra

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129

1. I. Nicht zu schnell (Abigail Norsworthy, cello)

Charles Ives (1874–1954)
The Unanswered Question

Florence Price (1887–1953)
Adoration (for string orchestra)

INTERMISSION

Arnold Mendelssohn (1855–1933)
Suite for Winds, Op. 62 (based on piano works by W. A. Mozart)

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, "Unfinished"

1. I. Allegro moderato

II. Andante con moto

About ESYO

Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO)

Based in New York's Capital Region, the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) is one of the USA’s premier youth orchestras and music training organizations. Founded in 1979, ESYO has been led by distinguished music directors such as Paavo Järvi, Francisco Noya, Helen Cha-Pyo, and Carlos Agreda, current Dudamel Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestra is now under the leadership of Swiss conductor Etienne Abelin, a longtime collaborator of the late Claudio Abbado.

ESYO regularly performs at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), and is featured annually on CBS6’s "Melodies of Christmas." The orchestra has premiered works by renowned composers, including Samuel Adler, Hilary Tann, Dan Cooper, Jin Hi Kim, Clint Needham, Grammy-winner Bill Cunliffe, and Michael Davis.

Recognized for its innovative programming, ESYO has received three awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). The orchestra has also toured Europe and Asia six times, including a performance at the 2012 World Expo in Yeosu, South Korea. ESYO’s collaborations have included artists such as Gabriel Prokofiev, the Shanghai Quartet, Boston Brass Quintet, Hyperion Quartet, ESYO alum Gary Wicks from Manhattan Transfer, conductor Benjamin Zander, trumpet virtuoso Alan Vizutti, and Charles Yang of “Time for Three.”

Notable alumni include multi-Grammy-nominated jazz vibraphonist Stefon Harris, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Cello Kenneth Olsen, and Grammy-nominated percussionist Ian Antonio.

"I've rarely heard an American youth orchestra play with such emotional depth," Anthony Do-Hoon Kim (Conductor, San Diego Youth Symphony) following ESYO’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 at Carnegie Hall in June 2023.

More information at: https://esyo.org/

Etienne Abelin, Conductor

Swiss conductor Etienne Abelin, Co-Founder of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra, has been lauded as a "post-classical pioneer" by BBC Music Magazine and an "icon of new ways in classical music" by the Musica Viva Magazine Brazil. His gripping, emotionally charged performances have been hailed as "always unforgettably fine" by eminent conducting mentor Jorma Panula.

Abelin won the exceptional privilege of being a musical collaborator for 18 years with classical music legend conductor Claudio Abbado, who has been described as one of the three greatest conductors of all time by BBC Music Magazine. As such, Etienne was handpicked by Mr. Abbado to be a founding member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra Mozart Bologna, where he was the Principal Second Violin for seven years. With these orchestras, he performed in the world's most prestigious concert halls and recorded for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi. Abelin has conducted orchestras such as the Beethovenorchester Bonn, the Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa or the Musikkollegium Winterthur in venues and festivals such as the Teatro alla Scala Milano, Royal Festival Hall London, the Auditorio Nacional de Musica Madrid or Beethovenfest Bonn.

Among his passions and special fields of focus in conducting are education and audience interaction - be it with the digital music visualization software Music:Eyes he co-founded (a.o. project with the Berlin Philharmonic in 2021), in the program "Netzwerkorchester" ("Innovative Orchestra Award" 2019 of the Deutsche Orchester-Stiftung) or in cross-genre collaborations with composers such as Gabriel Prokofiev, Francesco Tristano or Daniel Schnyder. Etienne Abelin has presented on multiple occasions as a TEDx speaker and performer.

In 2022, Abelin was appointed as the next Music Director and Conductor of the Empire State Youth Orchestra, where he has served as Music Director and Symphony Orchestra Conductor. Under his direction, the orchestra has delivered acclaimed performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall, and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.