Youth Orchestra, Dance Alliance join talents

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The Northwest Indiana Youth Orchestra will present its winter concert Feb. 19 at Hobart High School. The orchestra will be joined by the South Shore Dance Alliance for several selections. | Photo provided

Updated: February 14, 2012 1:07PM

The Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra will be joined by the South Shore Dance Alliance to present a winter concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, in the Hobart High School auditorium, 36 E. 8th St.

The concert will be under the direction of Philip Bauman.

The 80-member Youth Orchestra will present a variety of selections in honor of Black History Month. Included will be music from William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” selections by turn- of-the-century composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor from his “Petite Suite de Concert” and “Danse Negre,” plus “Nastalgia” from Fela Sowande’s “African Suite,” and George Gershwin’s popular and dramatic suite from “Porgy & Bess.” The concert will end with a medley from Duke Ellington’s Broadway show “Sophisticated Ladies.”

South Shore Dance Alliance has choreographed modern dances to go along with several selections.

Also featured will be jazz pianist Billy Foster and the Billy Foster Trio. The group will perform with the Youth Orchestra on “Perception” and “Into the Dawn” from his latest CD, entitled Billy Foster Trio and Friends “Portrait.”

The Youth Orchestra is comprised of students from Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper and LaPorte counties in Indiana and Cook County in Illinois.

Besides the winter concert, the Youth Orchestra will perform with the Dance Department of Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High-Ability Academy at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Wirt-Emerson auditorium, 210 N. Grand Blvd., Gary.

The “Nubian Odyssey” dance concert will feature music by the Youth Orchestra and the Billy Foster Trio for several of the dance numbers.

Larry Brewer, artistic director of South Shore Dance Alliance, leads dancers from the SSDA and Wirt- Emerson VPAHAA.

Tickets for this concert are available through Wirt-Emerson. Call (219) 938-1161. Concert information is posted on the symphony website, www.nisorchestra.org, and SSDA website, www.southshoredance.org.

The Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra gives a select group of young musicians a dynamic and rewarding experience with a strong emphasis placed on artistic excellence, personal growth and providing exceptional performance experiences.

Tickets for the Feb. 19 concert are general admission, and are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

For more information about the Youth Orchestra, visit the website www.nisorchestra.org or call the Northwest Indiana Symphony office at (219) 836-0525, Ext. 207.