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The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO), led by its co-founder and guiding force, Conductor Benjamin Zander, is a 120-member orchestra of talented musicians ranging in age from 12 years old to 21. These local musicians recently had the classical music experience of a lifetime.
The Boston-area young performers embarked on a 15-day, multi-city European tour and they performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe. Among one of those performers was young Melanie Chen from Needham, Massachusetts, a cellist who joins her violinist sister, Emily, as a member of the BPYO. Chen is currently the youngest member of the BPYO, a true testament to her talent. Chen’s musical proficiency has been recognized before, with her winning the Audience Favorite award in the 2016 MA-ASTA MASTERS Solo Competition, but this is the first time she has been associated with such an honor from the city of Boston. Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn presented a proclamation from the city at the final rehearsal, honoring the BPYO and wishing the group well on the tour.
The concerts for the 2018 European tour commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I, highlighting pieces at the dividing line between the Romantic and Modern eras of music. The ambitious journey took them to Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. It included a stop at the birthplace of Gustav Mahler, whose Ninth Symphony is the centerpiece of a demanding program that also features George Butterworth’s “The Banks of Green Willow” and Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse.”
