A Berkeley institution turns 90 this season. The Young People's Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1936 by conductor Jessica Marcelli, opens its anniversary season on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at First Church Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way.
YPSO calls itself California's oldest youth orchestra and the second-oldest in the United States. The ensemble returned in June from a tour of Finland and Sweden, according to the Piedmont Exedra.
The program
Music director and conductor David Ramadanoff leads:
- Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Op. 96
- Debussy: Nocturnes, I. Nuages and II. Fêtes
- Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
It is an ambitious program for teenage players, moving from Shostakovich's brass fanfares through Debussy's shifting textures to the hard-won triumph of the Brahms finale.
The rest of the anniversary season
- Winter Concert, Feb. 20, 2027: Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Gabriela Lena Frank's Three Latin American Dances, among other works.
- Spring Concert, May 1, 2027: Verdi's overture to La forza del destino and Dvořák's Symphony No. 6.
- 90th Anniversary Pops Concert, June 6, 2027, 3 p.m.: alumni join current musicians; venue to be announced.
The winter and spring concerts are also at First Church Berkeley. Ticket details are on the orchestra's website.