Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra Spring Concert

From the haunting elegance of Fauré’s Pavane to the jubilant spirit of Bizet’s L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2, tonight’s program is a masterclass in contrast and color — and every note is performed by young musicians ages 12 to 21, selected from across the state of Alabama. The Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra brings together some of the most gifted student musicians in the region, and tonight they take on a program that would challenge any professional ensemble. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s rhythmically alive Danse Nègre, Copland’s iconic Simple Gifts variations, and Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous Rococo Variations round out an evening that is, in a word, extraordinary.