The Empire State Youth Orchestra is opening their 2026-27 season on October 25 with Grounded in Story at Troy Saving Bank Music Hall. This performance marks the beginning of their Take Root season, exploring ideas of growth, connection, and belonging.
Grounded In Story brings together Guiseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino Overture, Iranian composer Aida Shirazi’s The Distorted Reminiscences of a Guardian, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The program will be led by Empire State Youth Orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor Etienne Abelin.
“This opening program takes us into three very different musical worlds—fate, memory, and storytelling—and invites us to listen for the forces that shape us.”
– Etienne Abelin, ESYO Music Director.
Verdi opens the program with music charged by the idea of destiny, while Shirazi’s work takes a more fragmented approach to memory. Drawing on a Persian folk song, the Iranian composer bends and fragments familiar material into something constantly shifting.
That perspective leads into Scheherazade, Rimsky-Korsakov’s celebrated piece that explores romance, danger, and adventure. Empire State Youth Orchestra concertmaster Magdelina Calabria will be featured as the solo violinist for this performance.
The concert launches Empire State Youth orchestra’s Take Root season, which represents the element of earth. After seasons devoted to air, water, and fire, the orchestra will now turn toward foundations, memory, and the places where musicians and communities grow.
Empire State Youth Orchestra Upcoming Concerts:
Symphony Orchestra Season Opener
Grounded in Story
Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 3:00pm
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY
Repertory Orchestra, String Orchestra & Concertino Strings
Sunday, November 8 2026 – 3:00pm
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY
Percussion Ensembles
Saturday, November 14, 2026 – 3:00pm
TBD
Youth and Reperatory Jazz Orchestras
Friday, November 20, 2026 – 7:00pm
Carl B Taylor Auditorium SUNY Schenectady
Visit esyo.org/news-concerts/ for more information.
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