Young Australians come out to play
- Source: Global Times
- [10:02 July 21 2010]
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The Australian Youth Orchestra. Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Concert Hall
By Guo Song
While most high school or college students are enjoying their holiday, a group of students from Australia are coming to Shanghai to show off their classical music talents.
The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), conducted by Sir Mark Elder, will bring music lovers in Shanghai works from two of Russia's greatest composers to the Shanghai Concert Hall.
The concert will feature the Piano Concerto No.3 by Prokofiev and Symphony No.2 by Rachmaninov.
Both composers are among the greatest composers of the 20th century.
The AYO was founded in 1948 by Professor John Bishop and Ruth Alexander. With more than 60 years of history, the AYO is one of the most reputable musical institutes in Australia and is among the world's most prestigious and innovative training organizations for young musicians, most of whom are students from high schools or universities between 12- and 28-year-old.
The AYO finds young musical talents from across Australia every year and gives the musicians pre-professional training and performances at major venues around the globe.
It has nurtured generations of brilliant Australian musicians.
This year's AYO tour is conducted by Sir Mark Elder. As the music director of the Halle, Britain's longest-running professional symphony orchestra based in Manchester, Elder has worked with the world's leading symphony orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the Orchestra de Paris and the London Philharmonic.
He has also worked with major international opera houses, such as the Royal Opera House Convent Garden, the Opera National de Paris and the Metropolitan Opera New York.
In 1989, Elder was awarded the CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a major honor in the UK.
His efforts at the English National Opera were rewarded with an Olivier Award in 1991.
And he was also named Conductor of the Year in 2006 by the Royal Philharmonic Society.
