The New York Youth Symphony, like other orchestras, had its entire slate of concerts canceled in the spring of 2020. It was clear that we wouldn’t return to the stage at any point that year. Performing live was impossible, but we were still determined to create a special way for our orchestra to make music. The thought was that if the audience couldn’t come to us, we might be able to bring the music to them. So I suggested making an album - and in November 2020 that’s what we did!
The result is the album we just released on AVIE Records, featuring works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Valerie Coleman. This is the story of how these works were chosen and how the New York Youth Symphony recorded a studio album at a time when gathering a full orchestra together was impossible.
Our cancelled concert in May 2020 would have included the Carnegie Hall premiere of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. The Concerto is an incredible piece which we had been excited to perform, so I immediately chose it for the album. Michelle Cann, one of the world’s great experts in Price’s piano music, joins us for the recording, and she is sensational! This is also the first studio recording of Price’s 1934 original orchestration, which was only published in 2020. A highlight is the gorgeous, lyrical duo for piano and oboe in the middle section (the 'Adagio'). Kara Poling, the Principal Oboist on the album, is someone to watch.
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