A Family Vacation
3 p.m., Sunday, February 27th
Ames City Auditorium, 515 Clark Avenue

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AMES, Iowa -- Music lovers will find a warm retreat from Iowa's chilly climes at Central Iowa Symphony's annual Family and Young Artists concert February 27 in Ames.

"A Family Vacation" is the theme for this program, which begins at 3 p.m. in Ames City Auditorium, 515 Clark Avenue.

According to guest conductor James Hannon, the concert will present a "musical snapshot" of more temperate areas along the Mediterranean and Paris in the spring time.

"We'll take a musical tour of some very sunny places, which I think will be a lot of fun for families," Hannon said. "Tchaikovsky wrote one piece after he vacationed in Italy, which was quite a change from winter time in Russia, so the entire piece is very cheerful and upbeat."

The orchestra also will perform Gershwin's "An American in Paris," filled with the sounds of Paris' busy city streets in the 1930s. Hannon said Gershwin was struck by how much he heard the sounds of taxi horns, which have been incorporated into the score. A third piece will feature winter vacation hot spots in southern Spain.

Accompanying two of the orchestral pieces will be work by Jean Smart's fourth and fifth grade art students at Fellows Elementary in Ames, and Sara Knutson's third and fourth grade art students at Mitchell Elementary in Ames. Selected works by these students will be featured on a large screen while the orchestra performs.

To encourage families to attend the concert, tickets for K-12 students have been reduced to $1 for this program only. Other ticket prices remain the same: $12 for adults, $11 for seniors (65 and older) and $5 for college students.

A second highlight of the Feb. 27 concert will be performances by Central Iowa Symphony's 2005 Young Artists. Three students were selected by audition in January to perform a concerto piece with the orchestra.

They are:

• Neil Anderson, cello, a senior at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and student of Sandra Tatge, performing Haydn's "Concerto in C Major";

• Erika Boysen, flute, a junior at Valley High School in Des Moines and student of Kimberly Helton, performing "Concerto" by Gordeli, and

• Alan Zhou, violin, a fifth grader at Terrace Elementary School in Ankeny and student of Jonathan Sturm, performing "Ziegunerweisen" by Pablo de Sarasate.

Hannon, who directs Iowa State University's orchestra programs, is one of two candidates for the Central Iowa Symphony music conductor and director. The Feb. 27 concert is his "audition," and audience members will be asked for their comments.

Hannon moved to Ames from LaCrosse, where he was director of orchestras and violin instructor at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Previously he was director of orchestras at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, music director of Umeå Ungdomsymfoniker in Sweden, music director of the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in Belleville, Illinois; assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and music director of the Youth Symphony Orchestra in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Hannon is a candidate for a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2000, he received the Richard C. Church Outstanding Orchestral Conductor’s Award.

Tickets for the Feb. 27 concert are available at the door or in advance at Big Table Books and Rieman Music. Credit card orders can be placed by Ames City Auditorium offices, (515) 239-5360.

2005 CENTRAL IOWA SYMPHONY YOUNG ARTISTS

Neil Anderson , a senior at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, is principal cellist for the school orchestra and also performs with the Roosevelt String Quartet and Chamber Orchestra.  He has been studying cello for 12 years, and has been a member of the Des Moines Area Suzuki Institute Orchestra for six years.  In 2004, he received a "Best of Center" award from the Iowa High School Music Association.

Neil has performed with the Iowa All-State Orchestra for the past four years and with the Iowa Youth Symphony in 2004.  From 1995 - 2001, he studied at the Colorado Suzuki Institute in Aspen, where he was an honors soloist. From 2002-2004 he studied with the Chiara String Quartet at the Chamber Music at Snowmass summer camp.

Neil is the son of Markham and Tana Anderson of Des Moines, and a student of Sandra Tatge of Des Moines.

Erika Boysen is a junior at Valley High School in West Des Moines and has been studying flute for seven years with Kim Helton. She has performed with the Iowa Youth Symphony the past three years and the Iowa Youth Chamber the past two years.

In 2003, Erika was the Senior Woodwinds Division state winner in the Music Teacher National Association competition and received the Fine Arts Award at Interlochen's summer music program. She was selected for the Iowa All-State Orchestra in 2002 and the Iowa All-State Band in 2003. She also is a member of the Valley High School Symphony Band.

Erika is the daughter of Jacquelyn Larsen and Robert Boysen of West Des Moines.

Alan Zhou is 10 years old and a fifth grader at Terrace Elementary School in Ankeny. He has lived in the United States since he was four, and has lived in Iowa since December 2001. He started playing violin at age five, and began studying with ISU associate professor of music Jonathan Sturm in March 2002. Last fall he was one of two guest soloists with the Oskaloosa Symphony Orchestra. In addition to music, Alan is interested in soccer and basketball.

He is the son of Xiaohui Zhou and Xiaochun Yang of Ankeny.

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NOTE: A high-resolution photo of the Young Artists can be downloaded from the CIS web site: www.cisymphony.org.