LJYO in the News
November 19, 2007
Youth Orchestra rings in holiday season with Christmas Eve Suite.
La Jeunesse Youth Orchestra (LJYO) presents the Christmas Eve Suite by
Rimsky-Korsakov as the centrepiece of its annual Home For The Holidays concert, on Sunday December 2 at the
Port Hope United Church.
By turns sparkling, soothing, fiery, and stately, evoking a snow-covered
Ukrainian landscape, a battle in a starry sky, and the Russian imperial court, the Christmas Eve Suite is
just one element of a typically ambitious, crowd-pleasing programme by the Orchestra. The repertoire will
include works by Mozart and Bizet, and will conclude with a perennial favourite, a sing-along medley of
carols arranged by Leroy Anderson.
Under the direction of Port Hope resident Michael Lyons of Classical 96.3
FM, the Orchestra is beginning its ninth season. The 28 members were chosen by audition, and come to Port
Hope for weekly rehearsals from as far away as Oshawa, Oakwood and Castleton. The members are aided by 10
coaches who assist in every section of the Orchestra, allowing the enthusiastic students to master
challenging works that might appear on the programmes of full-time professional ensembles.
Advance tickets for Home For The Holidays are available on the web at
www.ljyo.ca, by phone at 1-866-460-5596, and at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope and Victoria Hall in
Cobourg. The doors will open at 2:30, for the 3 p.m. concert, at the Port Hope United Church on Sunday,
December 2.