Northern Valley Youth Orchestras
Winter Concert: Connections
4:30 pm Sunday, March 2 2025
Empire Arts Center
415 Demers Ave. Grand Forks
Tickets: Pay what you can, $5 suggested minimum.
Northern Valley Youth Orchestras presents “Connections” : a winter concert, on March 2nd at 4:30 pm at the Empire Arts Center. The two NVYO student symphony orchestras will perform an exciting variety of symphonic music, including familiar favorites and lesser-known masterpieces, by living and historic composers, including the North Dakota premiere of Brianna Ware’s “The Moirai.” General Admission tickets are only available at the door, pay-what-you-can, with a suggested minimum contribution of $5 for adults. The concert will also be recorded for later viewing. Experience connections to the past and to other cultures through historic composers Alexander Borodin, Edward Elgar, Pascual Narro, and Antonin Dvorak; explore musical connections to theater, video games, and mythology through exciting works by living American composers L. Brianna Ware, Russell Peterson, and Brian Balmages. Tickets are available only at the door, general admission with a pay-what -you-can pricing model: free, with a suggested minimum donation of $5. The concert will also be recorded for later viewing.
NVYO includes two performing symphonic orchestras: Symphony, conducted by Dr. Kevin Sütterlin and assistant Devon Tucker; and Philharmonic, led by Kara Hartten with assistant Katie Stermer. The 90+ string, wind, brass and percussion student musicians come from over a dozen regional cities and schools in Minnesota and North Dakota, including Grand Forks, Manvel, Emerado, Thompson, Reynolds, Cummings, Minto, and Pembina, North Dakota; and East Grand Forks, Crookston, Fisher, Warren, and Goodridge, MN, in addition to several UND mentor musicians. NVYO programs provide challenging symphonic technique and performance opportunities for young musicians aged 9 to 21, within a supportive setting. NVYO participants meet once a week to make music, make friends, and use their talents to make a difference in the community.
NVYO season programming is supported in part by a number of generous grants including: the City of Grand Forks through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and region; the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Midwest GIG Fund; Myra Foundation; Visit Greater Grand Forks, and the Neel Family Fund and Iseminger Fund for the Arts, both via the the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and region. Additional support and assistance from donors and sponsors, community venues, and dozens of area music teachers make the many activities of this season possible