Free Mid-July International Youth Orchestra Concerts in Piazza Signoria

 

Youth orchestras from around the world will be headling free concerts at the Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza Signoria in four conscecutive evenings from Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11 to Sunday, July 12 and Monday, July 13.  All events start at 9 pm except on Monday, July 13 which which begins at 6:30 pm, and have free admission.  The theme of the series, which continues unti early August, is “Play Peace, Not War.”

Taiwan’s Zhengsheng Junior High School Wind Orchestra will appear on Friday, offering a selection of original compositions in addition to folk, pop and jazz standards.  The evening will open with the symphonic poem “Taiwan,” followed by pieces from Leonard Berstein’s “West Side Story,” Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” in addition to “Amazing Grace,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” ending with “The Prayer,” by David Forster.

The Cork Youth Orchestra from Ireland, conducted by Tomás McCarthy, which will take the stage on Saturday, which will interpret predominantly Irish music, from the The “Brendan Voyage” (1980), which was composed as a tribute to St. Brendan’s attempted crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in the 6th century, and the “Irish Suite,” including “The Rakes of Mallow,” “The Wearing of the Gree,” “The Last Rose of Summer,” and “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” The concert will end on an unusual note, featuring “Danzon n.2”  (1994) by Mexican composer Arturo Marquez.

The heralded Belgian ensemble Koninklijk Harmonieorkest Vooruit Herelbeke, conducted by pianist and composer Erik Desimpelaere, will present a tribute to maestro John Williams, recipient of the Academy, Golden Globe and Grammy awards for his movie soundtracks, on Sunday.  The program offers music from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “The Star Wars Suite,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “ET.”

Monday (6:30 pm) brings the musicians of the Guildford High School and Guildford Royal Grammar School from U.K. in a rendition of the vocal classics down the centuries, ranging from Scarlatti and Mendelssohn to Rossini, Verdi and Elgar.