The Gabriel Youth Orchestra will show off its range Sunday, performing songs from different genres and generations.
The group’s spring concert will be held at 3 p.m. at Pottsville Area School District’s D.H.H. Lengel Middle School on Laurel Boulevard. Tickets are $5 and available at the door. A complimentary reception will be held after the concert.
Agnes Maurer, founder and executive director of the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, said the concert’s program is a medley of popular and classic music. The youth orchestra was established under the guidance of the chamber ensemble and is the foundation of the ensemble’s educational efforts.
The program includes selections from classical composers such as Antonin Dvorak and Gustov Holst, to “Superman Returns” by John Williams and John Ottoman, “The Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a Beach Boys medley.
The orchestra is under the direction of John Potlunas. He is a retired Tamaqua Area High School band director and also served as director of the Schuylkill Youth Symphony Orchestra for 18 years.
Gabriel Youth Orchestra members participated in the annual Young Artist Competition. This year, five members won the competition and will be featured as soloists in the spring concert. They are Malachi Ahlert, violin; Jason Brauer, piano; and Cody Gemmel, Rachel Gibson and Kaitlyn Pekarik, mallet percussion.
Formed in 2010, the Gabriel Youth Orchestra provides a professionally managed and conducted setting for high school students in the region. The group is open to musicians in seventh to 12th grade, although younger students can participate upon recommendation from their music teacher.
According to its website, www.gabrielensemble.org/youthOrch.htm, the orchestra is the only available outlet in the area for young musicians to assemble in full orchestral mode with the strings differentiating the ensemble from community and high school bands.
The ensemble is also the only orchestral training in the area for students in county schools. It is funded by the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble by ticket and advertising revenues, as well as individual, corporate and foundation support, and governmental and other grants, according to the website.
For more information, visit the ensemble’s website or Facebook page at Gabriel Youth Orchestra.