Portland, January 29th. The PYP Chamber Orchestra welcomed Hossein and Bobak Salehi as guest artists for Henry Cowell’s beautiful and exotic Persian Set. They performed on Persian instruments Cowell discovered during his studies in Iran in the 1950s. Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Rachel Graves smiled as she played. The PYP Chamber Orchestra also premiered a new work by the Salehis. The concert showcased a work by Osvaldo Golijov, an Argentinian composer whose music is taking the world by storm.
The Wieden+Kennedy Building concert drew hundreds.
“We appreciated the enthusiastic response to our two concerts last year. This year, we are bringing programs of great variety to the Pearl. Our musicians are excited about performing in the gallery and it has been a joy preparing the music with them,” said Conductor and Music Director David Hattner.
Hossein Salehi, David Hattner, and Bobak Salehi
A reception featuring Persian arts and crafts was on display for patrons before the event. The concert was sponsored by Fidelity Investments.
More about PYP:
The Portland Youth Philharmonic Association supports two full symphony orchestras, a wind ensemble and one string orchestra. Each group is made up of outstanding young musicians chosen by open auditions each spring and early fall who are seated solely according to ability. They range in age from 7 to 22, come from communities across the region, and represent over 70 different schools. Membership demands their commitment to an intensive schedule of rehearsals and the performance of a repertoire that closely parallels that of major professional orchestras. More information is available at http://www.portlandyouthphil.org/.
