National Youth Orchestra of Uruguay to perform with FIU Symphony Orchestra Feb. 4

The National Youth Orchestra of Uruguay mentor’s the country’s best and brightest musical talents.

The National Youth Orchestra of Uruguay will perform alongside the FIU Symphony Orchestra Monday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., in MMC’s Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

Artist-in-Residence Robert Davidovici will be conducting Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture,” a fantastic tale that reveals the true nature of a composer’s genius. The overture was featured in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the 2009 Nobel Prize concert. After the joint performance, the Youth Orchestra will perform a selection of pieces, one of which will be Alberto Ginastera’s Suite “Estancia,” under the direction of Maestro Ariel Britos. (Program notes for the concert can be found here.)

The award-winning Britos will also be speaking Monday, Feb. 4, at 11 a.m., in a colloquium sponsored by the School of International and Public Affairs titled, “Music, Education and Public Policy in Uruguay.”

While in town, the youth orchestra will participate in a series of masterclasses at FIU’s School of Music.

The National Youth Orchestra is a tool of education and enrichment for young musical talents in Uruguay. The group performs in a 2,000-seat auditorium shared by the National Ballet, National Symphony Orchestra and National Chorus. In 2012, the orchestra received its country’s “Golden Citizen” prize.

For those who can’t attend, the concert will also be streamed live at www.music.fiu.edu.