The Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO) under the direction of Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor Dionysis Grammenos enchanted the audience in its Carnegie Hall debut on November 3. The program highlighted the great talent and impressive range of the performers and their conductor, Maestro Grammenos.
The 95 GYSO musicians presented an eclectic evening of music including contemporary European and American popular symphonic works as well as a fresh new take on traditional Greek dance music through a symphonic lens.
The program included «Rewind « by acclaimed Grammy-nominated British composer Anna Clyne; a selection of Nikos Skalkottas’ Greek Dances, which premiered at Carnegie Hall exactly 70 years ago, in November 1954, performed by the New York Philharmonic; and Leonard Bernstein’s celebrated ‘Symphonic Dances’ based on themes from his West Side Story.
From the very first notes, the GYSO impressed the audience with its artistry and dynamic playing throughout the varied program, capturing the essence of each piece, the drama, and the lyrical quality in a remarkable evening of music.
The captivating performance earned the GYSO a standing ovation and they returned for three encores, concluding by singing a beautiful a cappella version of Mikis Theodorakis’ Omorfi Poli that drew even more enthusiastic applause. Maestro Grammenos noted that the final encore was “from Greece with love.”
The GYSO Carnegie Hall debut was hosted by The Hellenic Initiative (THI), a global nonprofit organization that brings together diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes to invest in the future of Greece through programs focused on crisis relief, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
THI Board member Nicholas Alexos gave the welcoming remarks on November 3, thanking everyone for attending, and noting that “our celebrated and ambitious conductor, Dionysis Grammenos, told me a few years back that these programs are to bring the audience to a different realm.”
Alexos pointed out that the GYSO is the “real masterpiece tonight” and “the first national youth orchestra from Europe to ever perform a concert in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium,” which garnered thunderous applause.
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