We started off our second round of concerts for the large programs with a remarkable performance by the Young Artists Orchestra. The concert opened with the Overture to Candide by Bernstein. The excitement of the piece filled the hall with the frenetic energy of the brass and the shimmering runs in the high winds and strings. The first half of the concert concluded with another piece by Bernstein, the Chichester Psalms. The Young Artists Orchestra was joined by the Young Artists Vocal Program and 5 guest soloists for the piece. This unique piece sets sacred text to Bernstein’s iconic broadway music style, retexting works from his failed The Skin of Our Teeth musical with text from Psalms 108, 100, 23, 2, 131, and 133. The orchestra played with great sensitivity, complementing the chorus and creating a rich beautiful texture. The piece covered a great range of tonal colors from the bright opening with full orchestra and chorus to the more sensitive moments featuring the countertenor’s mellifluous voice floating above the strings. Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, composed at the end of his lifetime, was one of his most popular works. As the title would suggest the piece is highly demanding and features many of the musicians as soloists throughout the work. YAO masterfully tackled these individually virtuosic parts and wove them into a glorious tapestry of sound. With perfect balance and sensitivity, the instruments rose out of the texture for their solo features and effortlessly melted back, yielding to the ever developing and evolving affect of this emotional piece. The orchestra demonstrated the full range of its musicality with this demanding concert, and the students continue to impress us with their talent and dedication to the ensemble.