The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's All-Brass Ensemble, Bravo Brass Will Present BRAND NEW BRASS

The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's (PYO) all-brass ensemble, Bravo Brass, will present a concert of recent compositions and fresh arrangements of holiday favorites entitled "Brand New Brass" at the historic St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Burlington, New Jersey on Sunday, December 1 at 3 p.m. St. Mary's is located at 145 West Broad Street, Burlington, NJ. The performance will be led by Paul Bryan, the Director and Conductor of Bravo Brass.

The afternoon's program will feature contemporary works by Gregory Pascuzzi and Emmy Award-winning composer Anthony DiLorenzo, new arrangements of classic repertoire by Johann Sebastian Bach and Richard Wagner, and unique settings of holiday favorites by Albert Hague and Mel Torme.

Paul Bryan looks forward to returning to St. Mary's with his students. He said, "With Brand New Brass, our ensemble will deliver an invigorating performance, with the fitting backdrop of the upcoming holiday season. Our students have been practicing and are eager to share the music with the audience.

This is a free concert. For more information, please call 215-545-0502 or visit www.pyos.org.

Bravo Brass is the all-brass ensemble of PYO with gifted young brass musicians, ages 12-21, They are selected by audition to participate in this advanced group and receive instruction from a faculty of expert musicians in each instrument. Directed by Paul Bryan, Bravo Brass offers students the opportunity to build specialized musical capabilities as well as life skills that enhance personal growth. Many of Bryan's students have excelled in all-state bands and orchestras throughout the Delaware Valley and gained admission into some of the country's best universities and conservatories.

The renowned Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization, now in its 80th season, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community music education and youth orchestra performance programs. Training tomorrow's leaders, PYO provides talented young musicians from across the tri-state area with exceptional musical training. Students go on to excel in many diverse fields, and it is with pride that Philadelphia Youth Orchestra notes that many members of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra are alumni. For more information, please visit www.pyos.org.

The anchor group is the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), conducted by President and Music Director Louis Scaglione, featuring 130 gifted instrumentalists who range in age from 14-21. Young musicians 12-18 years old are featured in PYO's companion ensemble, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO), which is led by Director and Conductor Maestra Rosalind Erwin, who is Music Director and Conductor of Drexel University Orchestra. Philadelphia Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO), directed by Maestro Kenneth Bean, is a beginning to intermediate-level full symphonic orchestra that provides most students with their first introduction to large orchestral playing featuring students age 10-17 years old. Bravo Brass, directed by Curtis Institute of Music Dean, Paul Bryan, is an all-brass ensemble for promising middle and high-school instrumentalists. PRYSM (Philadelphia Region Youth String Music) and PRYSM Young Artists ensembles provide string large ensemble and sectional master class instruction for beginning and intermediate musicians ages 6-14. The director and conductor of PRYSM is Gloria DePasquale, cellist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and conductor of PRYSM Young Artists is Andrea Weber. Tune Up Philly (TUP) is PYO's after-school music program, directed by Paul Smith, that focuses on creating and inspiring true community by providing children in under- resourced communities with invaluable opportunities to learn and perform a differentiated orchestral music curriculum.