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Coming up . . .

QYS 2013 Concert Series
More information on concert dates, programs and subscription prices here

Saturday 25 May 3.00pm
Concert at Twilight
Old Museum Concert Hall
QYO3 & BBC Strings

Sunday 26 May 3.00pm
Concert at Twilight
Old Museum Concert Hall
WE with Redeemer Lutheran College

Saturday 1 June 7.00pm
QPAC Concert Hall
Romeo and Juliet
With QYS, piano soloist Quang Hong Luu and conductor John Curro
Repertoire includes Moti Perpetuo by Lehmann, Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto and Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 2 by Prokofiev.

Saturday 8 June 5.30pm
Concert at Twilight
Old Museum Concert Hall
JSE & WSSO

Saturday 15 June 5.30pm
Concert at Twilight
Old Museum Concert Hall
QYO2

Sunday 16 June 4.00pm
Concert at Twilight
Old Museum Concert Hall
WS & Canterbury College

More QYO pages

The Old Museum

Brisbane’s youth performing arts centre and home of QYO.

2013 NYCC

QYO’s National Youth Concerto Competition, Australia’s leading competition for string players aged 17 and under.
New date for the 2013 Finals Week: 5 - 13 October 2013.
More information here

Book tickets for QYS

Find out everything about the QYS 2013 Concert Series and purchase your tickets here.

QYO Sponsors

 

 

Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS)

Conductor John Curro AM MBE

 

The Queensland Youth Symphony is widely recognised as a world-class youth orchestra and is the leading ensemble of Queensland Youth Orchestras. The orchestra enhanced its reputation during the 2012 international tour to Asia and Europe, earning much praise from audience members and critics, and many standing ovations during the ten-concert tour.

QYS performs an annual concert series at the QPAC and Old Museum Concert Halls, and entertains audiences with music from the baroque to modern periods, with a focus on works from the late 19th and 20th centuries, and by contemporary Australian composers.

The main works in 2013 include Mahler’s 5th Symphony, Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet Suite No.2 and Britten’s War requiem. Please find the complete repertoire here.

 

Photos from Mahler 5

 

Coming up - QYS Concert Series

 

Romeo & Juliet

Saturday 1 June 7pm - QPAC Concert Hall

 Wilfred Lehmann - Moti Perpetuo

Piotr I Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Soloist: Quang Hong Luu

Serge Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet - Suite No. 2

 

Tickets and subscriptions for the QYS 2013 Concert Series are now available here.

 

Touring

QYS has performed throughout Australia and internationally during eleven overseas tours (Europe, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) to much critical acclaim.

The orchestra enhanced its reputation during the 2012 international tour to Asia and Europe, earning much praise from audience members and critics, and many standing ovations during the ten-concert tour. Concert destinations included Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Linz (Austria), Strasbourg (France), and German cities Worms, Frankenthal, Stuttgart, Ehingen and Bamberg. Read more about the tour here

In 2008, QYS toured to Germany, France, Austria and Italy giving concerts in Mannheim, Speyer, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Bouxwiller, Scherwiller, Freiburg, Stuttgart, Bamberg, Ancona, Sulmona and Rome. In 2004, QYS toured to Germany and Italy giving concerts in Ulm, Munich, Bamberg, Würzburg, Florence, Santa Fiora and Tivoli.

QYS regularly hosts visiting international youth orchestras including, in 2012, the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, in 2010, the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, in 2009 the Albuquerque Youth Symphony from the US and the Ulm Youth Wind Philharmonic from Germany. In 2007 and 2008, QYO hosted orchestras from Germany (Mannheim and Stuttgart) and Macau.

 

 

QYO Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS)

 

Conductor John Curro AM MBE

John Curro, QYO Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS)

John Curro AM MBE is both the founder and Director of Music for Queensland Youth Orchestras (QYO), conducting the Queensland Youth Symphony since its beginning in 1966. He is in demand as a conductor and tutor for professional and youth orchestras and festivals.

Last year, Mr Curro conducted Havergal Brian’s Symphony No. 1 The Gothic, for the first ever performance in 30 years and the first performance outside the UK. Writing in the Havergal Brian Society Newsletter of December 2010, Malcolm Mc Donald wrote: “… it was as vivid and powerful a reading as the Gothic has yet received and perhaps the most accurate to date…”. With QYS, Mr Curro conducted the Resurrection Symphony by Gustav Mahler in a remarkable performance with Judith Henley (Soprano), Anne Fulton (Mezzo Soprano), the Queensland Conservatorium Chamber Choir and the Brisbane Chorale.

In 2009, he was conductor of the Bishop Orchestra at the Victorian State Music Camp and guest conductor at the Tasmanian Conservatorium and Brisbane Philharmonic (also in 2010 and 2011) orchestras. In 2008, he conducted the Queensland Youth Symphony during its 11th international tour with critically acclaimed concerts in Germany, France and Italy.

Mr Curro has conducted many of Australia’s professional orchestras as well as many opera and ballet seasons in Australia. His guest conducting appearances include the London Virtuosi, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Australian and Bavarian Youth Orchestra, the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout his distinguished career, Mr Curro has received many prestigious awards including Member of the Order of Australia and Member of the British Empire. He has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Queensland and Griffith University, Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow award, the Australian Music Centre (Qld) Award, the Don Banks Music Award, the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award, the Orchestras Australia Lifetime Achievement award and the Queensland Premier’s Millenium Award for Excellence in the Arts.

 QYO Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS)

 

 

QYO Queensland Youth Symphony (QYS)

 

Past QYS repertoire

In 2011, QYS performed

Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D major (Soloist Kristian Winther)
Samuel Dickenson Scherzo - World Premiere
Claude Debussy Images - Iberia
Edouard Lalo Symphonie Espagnol (Soloist Lily Higson-Spence)
Maurice Ravel Daphnis & Chloe - Suite No. 2
Ottorino Respighi Ancient Airs & Dances - Suite No. 3
Serge Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges Symphonic Suite
Camille Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 - Organ Symphony
Robert Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor (Soloist Dan Curro)
Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme (Soloist Stephanie Stamopoulos)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major (Soloist Wendy Kong)
Joseph Twist Pop Culture Parody - World Premiere
Allan Zavod Oboe Concerto - World Premiere (Soloist Diana Doherty)

 

In 2010, QYS performed

Arutunian Trumpet Concerto 
Bach Concerto for two harps and orchestra BWV 1060 
Dickenson Romance for Chamber Strings - World Premiere
Elgar Symphony No 2
Gustav Mahler Symphony No2 in C Minor - Resurrection
Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major
Ibert Flute Concerto
Mahler Symphony No 5, 3rd movement
Malecki Concertino in an Ancient Style
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 2 in G minor 
Respighi Pines of Rome-The Pines of the Appian Way
Shostakovich Symphony No. 6 op. 54, B minor, 3rd movement
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor
Walton Portsmouth Point
Walton Viola Concerto
Wieniawski Violin Concerto No 2 in D minor

 

In 2009, QYS performed

Arr. Ian McKinley The Lord is My Shepherd
Bartok Viola Concerto
Beethoven Egmont Overture, op. 84
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Bernstein arr Mason West Side Story: Selections for Orchestra
Brahms Symphony no. 2 in D major
Butterworth A Shropshire Lad
Debussy Nocturnes 1 & 2 (Nuages & Fetes)
Haydn Cello Concerto in C major
Lalo Cello Concerto
Lovelock Trumpet Concerto
Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Prokofiev Cinderella Suite no. 2
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor
Strauss Radetzky March, op. 228
Stravinsky The Firebird
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor
Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme
Weber Bassoon Concerto

 

 

 

Watch the Queensland Youth Symphony conducted by John Curro play the 2nd movement of Mahler’s First Symphony: