The spring concert of the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra (PCYO) on May 18 featured Dream Threads -- the world premiere of a commissioned work by Grammy® Award-winning ASCAP artist Augusta Read Thomas. TBPAC is working on a mini-documentary of the Dream Threads project. Watch it here.
John Fleming of The St. Petersburg Times called Dream Threads “full of shimmering, finely honed effects that suggest the ballets of Stravinsky,” while Kurt Loft of The Tampa Tribune called the piece “pure concert music.” Loft continued, saying the PCYO musicians “showed remarkable confidence ... playing as a concise integrated unit. It was hard to believe it was an orchestra made up of teenagers.”
Of course, these are the same young musicians who received a standing ovation when they played Carnegie Hall last summer. And the bios of the PCYO graduating seniors is jammed-packed with phrases such as “National Honor Society member,” “received numerous scholarships,” and “top of graduating class.” They are headed off to Vanderbilt University, MIT, Yale, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer University and The Juilliard School of Music. These are students who excel on and off the concert stage. As conductor Dr. William Wiedrich told the audience at the concert, “These students are not only great musicians, they are great people.”
Dream Threads is based on the French story “The Magic Thread,” a tale of a young boy who finds a magic thread which, when pulled, propels time forward. Every time the boy encounters difficulties in life, he pulls the string. But as he reaches the end of his life, he realizes that he has missed out all that makes life complete. It’s a story that we all need to remember ... and enjoy the moment.
Auditions for the 2008-09 PCYO program begin June 12-15. Call 813.222.1273 for more information.
-Carol C.
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