Season Opener Concerts
Please join Maestro Leo Eylar as he inaugurates his 25th season with the California Youth Symphony! Our season opener features the stirring and wonderfully evocative music of Prokofiev's last major ballet, Cinderella, as well as George Gershwin's sultry and exotic Cuban Overture, composed after a two-week holiday which Gershwin took in Havana, Cuba in 1932. Our featured soloist, Catherine Kim, will perform Bloch's Schelomo, one of the most powerfully moving and deeply expressive works ever composed for cello and orchestra.
Leo Eylar, conductor
Catherine Kim, cello
Gershwin: Cuban Overture
Bloch: Schelomo (Catherine Kim, soloist)
Prokofiev: Cinderella, Suite 1
Prior to the performance, be sure to check out Maestro Eylar's interactive Sergei Prokofiev webpage. Featuring program notes, commentary, photos, videos, questions and answers, and more clickable content, it’s the perfect way to prepare you for the performance. Click here for instant access!
Young Artist Competition Winner
Catherine Kim made her debut with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra at age 10, only three years after beginning her cello studies. She has since performed with the Peninsula Symphony as the Grand Prize winner of the 2014 Young Musicians' competition.
"Catherine's playing is both emotionally mature and communicative. I consider her to be among the most gifted cellists of her generation" ~ John McCarthy, Director Emeritus, Preparatory and Adult Extension Divisions at SFCM.
Catherine was invited to perform at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall on three separate occasions. Most recently, she performed as the 2nd prize winner (no 1st prize awarded) of the New York International Artists Association Competition. In 2014, Catherine won 1st prize in the MTNA State Competition. She represented the state of California in the MTNA Southwestern Division and received 2nd place. Additional awards include first prizes in the AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, MTAC VOCE Competition, ASTA Competition, and CMTANC Competition.
