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ORLANDO, FL – On Saturday, April 14, 2018, at 8:00 pm, you can travel back in time to the "Roaring 20's" with Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras for its annual Gala, held at The Plaza Live, 425 N Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL 32803.

This spectacular evening will include a reception and silent auction, a fabulous dinner prepared by Itar Bistro, and end with some of the best seats in the house for an amazing concert featuring South African pianist, Charl Du Plessis with Music Director Hanrich Claassen, Jazz Conductor Jeff Rupert, and your FSYO Jazz and Symphonic Orchestras.

"I'm excited to present to you my good friend, Charl du Plessis, as a featured artist for our Gala concert program. Charl was the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist in 2010 and it's our honor to have him collaborating with the Jazz and the Symphonic Orchestras with music that promises to fill your heart with joy." - Hanrich Claassen, Music Director and Symphonic Orchestra Conductor

Du Plessis is no stranger to working with Maestro Claassen, as the two have been colleagues and collaborators in ensembles and schools all over the world. Du Plessis says, "Making music with Maestro Claassen and young artists in Africa, China and Europe has always been an honor and filled with fun. Now Florida awaits and I'm happy to take the stage with this lifelong friend and colleague." Together they will perform George Gershwin's iconic jazz-concerto, Rhapsody in Blue, along with a surprise piece that was arranged for the orchestra by Du Plessis himself. This piece melds the worlds of classical and jazz music and is sure to entertain and leave the audience with a smile on their faces.

"Charl specializes in the arrangement and refined treatment of crossover music that sets him apart from other pianists and has enabled him to build a new audience where the classic music connoisseur and jazz enthusiast meet." - Hanrich Claassen, Music Director and Symphonic Orchestra Conductor

Tickets for this special Gala concert can be purchased on the FSYO website, www.fsyo.org. Ticket prices for this concert range from $10 to $30. Florida academic and private teachers receive free admission to this concert but must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by April 8, 2018, in order to have a seat reserved. This is one that you do not want to miss!

About FSYO: Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras exists to encourage children and young adults, through the practice and performance of orchestral music, to become passionate leaders, thinkers, and contributors in their local community and beyond. In its 61st Concert Season, FSYO comprises three full orchestras, one string training orchestra, an advanced chamber ensemble, and a new jazz orchestra made up of more than 250 students from nine Central Florida counties. Programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Orlando Utilities Commission; The City of Orlando, Mayor's Matching Grant; and United Arts of Central Florida. We thank these groups for their generous support.

Learn more: web: www.fsyo.org | FB: @TheFSYO | Twitter: @FSYO | IG: @F_S_Y_O | Youtube: @fsyo

About Charl Du Plessis: Charl du Plessis made his international debut in 1999 and rose to fame when he was the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist in 2010. His international performing and teaching career is a testimony to his versatility, working simultaneously as classical and jazz pianist. In 2017 he became the first pianist in the world to perform on top of Table Mountain in his native South Africa.

International concert tours to Europe and the Far-East in concert halls ranging from London's Royal Albert Hall to Shanghai's Oriental Arts Centre have contributed to the press hailing Du Plessis as a "cult pianist" an "edu-tainer" and a pianist with "x-factor". He is equally comfortable on the recital stage, band stand or with orchestras and ensembles as soloist, composer or arranger.

Charl du Plessis has collaborated with many pre-eminent international musicians and has performed with South Africa's most prestigious orchestras: Johannesburg and Cape Town Philharmonic, Pretoria Symphony and the Free State Symphony Orchestra.

For the past 18 years, he has performed in more than 60 concerts per year with singer and iconic South African entertainer Nataniël.

Since making the decision to establish his own trio with bassist Werner Spies and drummer Hugo Radyn in 2006, Charl du Plessis has alerted audiences to the complexities and capabilities of combining jazz and classic music. The creative possibilities of this musical unit have offered him the means to produce a wide range of music not confined by any style or genre and has enjoyed international success with concert tours in Europe and Asia.

Charl du Plessis lives in Pretoria, South Africa and divides his time between concert life, composing, arranging and, over the last few years, a teaching position on the piano faculty at the University of Pretoria. He performs more than 130 concerts per season and pursues a comprehensive approach to the musical profession, organizing his own management, recording under his own independent label, as well as Swiss label Claves, and studying the art of piano building and the latest sound technology. He has developed a similar approach to recording, a process that he controls at each and every stage.

He has released 8 CD and 2 DVD recordings. He has won a SAMA Award (South African Music Award) for best Classical Album, a KykNet Fiësta Award for Boogie Woogie Big Band in 2017 and a Ghoema Award for best Instrumental album in 2013. He has been at the top of the South African classical billboard charts for 74 weeks and regularly appears on television and radio.

Charl du Plessis studied with master piano teacher Joseph Stanford at the University of Pretoria and was the first student ever to complete a doctoral performance degree specializing simultaneously in classical and jazz piano. He also studied with well-known musicians, including György Sebök in Ernen, Switzerland, Dan Hearle and Stefan Karlsson at the University of North Texas, USA and Ulrich Koellah at the Musikhochschule Winterthur-Zurich, Switzerland. He has been the recipient of major prizes at International Scholarship Competitions of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO).

His most recent recording is Baroqueswing Vol. III on Swiss record label CLAVES.

For more information visit charlduplessis.com

This week's alumni appreciation post is about Ms. Kimberly Hankins. She was a part of Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras for five years, where she played the violin and viola. Ms. Hankins participated in Philharmonia Orchestra from 2002-2005, as Violin 1 and 2, and Symphonic Orchestra from 2005-2006, in the Viola section. Kimberly says, "It was in FSYO that I found my love of orchestral playing".

After graduating high school and the FSYO program, Kimberly went on to Indiana University for her undergraduate studies. There she was able to obtain a Performance Diploma and Master of Music in Viola Performance. Once Kimberly graduated from Indiana University, she realized that she wanted to help others pursue a career in music. She said, "Helping students achieve their goals is extremely rewarding".

Deciding to further her education, Kimberly now attends Arizona State University in pursuit of a Doctorate of Musical Arts. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Viola, she currently teaches six undergraduate students, five of them majoring in music. She is also a member of The Herberger String Quartet, ASU's premiere graduate ensemble; as well as the violist for ASU's studio orchestra, a teaching orchestra for the student conductors.

Once Kimberly graduates from ASU she would like to balance teaching at the collegiate level and playing in an orchestra. When asked about the importance of music education, she believes "music education helps everyone think more creatively and appreciate music in their own lives. Classical music is something that should be accessible to everyone".

For more information about Ms. Kimberly Hankins, you can visit her website at https://kimberlyhankins.com/

Today's #ThankfulThursday goes to Mr. Eric Mendez for being a teacher, conductor, and mentor to young students in our community. Mr. Mendez grew up playing the Trombone and Euphonium throughout his time in school. He is now a music teacher and the band director at Maitland Middle School and teaches band and jazz band for sixth through eighth graders. In addition to his work with Maitland Middle, Mr. Mendez is a regular sectional coach and guest conductor for FSYO.

We asked Mr. Mendez when he realized he wanted to be a teacher, he said, "I was in high school and had tremendous respect for my music teachers. I knew then that I would want to help students be the best they could be in the high school band because I saw the value of this organization for developing young people into good citizens". Once realizing his desire to teach, Mr. Mendez went to Valencia Community College and then Florida State University to obtain a Bachelor degree in Music Education.

After graduating college, Mr. Mendez went on to start his teaching career at Lake Gibson Junior High in Lakeland, Florida. Once he was engaged to be married, he moved to Orlando where he taught at Jackson Heights Middle School for a year. At the end of that year, a fellow FSU alum called him to interview at Discovery Middle School and he taught there for seven years. In 2001, he began teaching at Maitland Middle School as the co-band director and within three years became the full band director.

Mr. Mendez enjoys watching students progress from beginners to artists that can make music happen at a high level within three years. When asked why he believes music education is important to teach, he said, "Music is the language of the human heart. Anyone who grows up without a knowledge of it grows up without one of the most important aspects of human creativity".

Sarah Morrison Headshot 2016 This week's alumni appreciation post is about our very own Ms. Sarah Morrison. She is currently the conductor of our Prelude Orchestra and was previously the conductor for our Overture Strings Orchestra from 2012-2017. Ms. Morrison participated in Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras for seven years as a student violinist and went on to graduate from our program back in 1991.

Upon graduation, Ms. Morrison went on to attend Rollins College and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate studies. After receiving her B.A. in Music and Humanities at Rollins College, Ms. Morrison went on to teaching private violin lessons. This was when she realized she wanted to deepen her understanding of string pedagogy and learn how to better teach children. She decided that the best way to help her develop a voice as a music educator was to attend Florida State University and get a Master of Music Education in Strings and a Master of Music in Violin Performance.

While at FSU, Ms. Morrison learned that teaching music is most certainly a lifelong journey and that we continually learn and grow as teachers and musicians. She believes we learn daily from the student musicians with whom we have the privilege to work, as well as from the mentors and master teachers who cross our paths. Through studying and performing music together, we can create art in a way that taps into our shared humanity in a unique and powerful way.

After graduating from FSU, she started teaching as a director for Crownover Middle School in Denton, Texas, and later served as an elementary string specialist in the public schools of Salem, Oregon. She most recently taught orchestra for second to eighth graders locally at Rochelle School of Arts in Lakeland, Florida, from 2006-2014. Once her son was born, she decided to focus on providing private lessons for violinists in Lakeland and continue conducting with FSYO.

"We strive to achieve a common goal and focus on what unifies us in spirit and intention, creating something which makes the world tangibly better, instead of being distracted by our differences. The world could take a lesson from what our FSYO student musicians accomplish each week in rehearsal." - Ms. Sarah Morrison

For today's #ThankfulThursday, we are showing our appreciation to Dr. Jeannine Mongeon for being a teacher, conductor, and mentor to young students in our community. Dr. Mongeon grew up quite musically involved, playing the violin, viola, and piano. As a young student, she was involved in the Young Peoples' Philharmonic of Bethlehem, PA, for eight years.

While in her first semester of college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Mongeon was asked by a family to help their daughter learn the violin. From there she fell in love with teaching and changed her major to Music Education. As a result, she went on to get a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania; a Masters from University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music; and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami all in Music Education.

After graduating college, Dr. Mongeon went on to start a string program for first through twelfth graders from scratch at a private school in Miramar, FL. Her career as a music teacher has taken her to all over the United States and to Canada. In 2011, she started working at L'ecole des Ursulines, in Canada, teaching violin and music theory in French.

She is now a music teacher at Montverde Academy where she teaches Music Appreciation, Chamber Music, and Sight-Singing courses for second through twelfth grade. In addition to teaching at Montverde Academy, she also teaches private string lessons for violin, viola, and orchestras. When asked why she thinks music education is important she said, "Music is basic to being human. Music Education contributes to the general growth and development of humans. There is nothing else like it".

On Saturday, March 3rd, FSYO held a photo shoot in preparation for its Rhapsody in Blue Gala and Concert. Three FSYO students, Christina, Kayla, and Micah, from our Symphonic and Jazz orchestras, were styled in their 1920's best and given a chance to show their stuff in front of the camera. The wonderful team at Orlando Vintage Clothing and Costume helped to create these 20's looks, donating their time and talent to fit and style our students. Once fitted, the students had their hair and makeup done by the amazing team at Paul Mitchell The School Orlando.

The backdrop was the beautiful Longwood Village Inn, which was built around 1885 and still captures the vintage charm. Also used to the set the stage was a 1927 Cadillac LaSalle, which local car enthusiast and non-profit supporter, Tony Rossi was gracious enough to let us borrow. This shoot would not have been complete without the expert eye of photographer Iwona, who brought the best out of the students and captured some amazing shots.

Here are some sneak peek behind the scenes photos from the shoot. Look out for the real photos as we get closer to this exciting event. The Rhapsody in Blue Gala and Concert will take place on April 14, 2018, at the Plaza Live. Tickets are on sale now and Sponsorships are available.

1920's attire is encouraged, so head over to Orlando Vintage to rent and reserve your outfit and don't forget to visit the amazing students at Paul Mitchell The School Orlando to complete your look. We hope to see you on April 14th!