Jack Ashton’s “Young Artist Chamber Players” and “Suzuki Strings” Present Free Spring Concert

Jack Ashton and Young Artist Chamber Players, 2016

Exceptional young musicians touring southern Utah make an appearance in Cedar City on Sat., April 16, at 4 p.m. in St. Jude's Episcopal Church, 70 N 200 W.  You are invited to this free public concert. Young Artist Chamber Players join with Suzuki Strings in performing music ranging from Bach and Handel to Vaughn Williams and fiddling.

The Young Artist Chamber Players are directed by Jack Ashton, recently named "Utah's Music Man" by the Deseret News for his exceptional teaching and performing career.  "In addition to playing year-round in the Utah Symphony, he taught orchestra part-time for 35 years at Olympus High, his alma mater, and for the past 31 years he’s been director of the Young Artist Chamber Players, an organization he set up with his brother Ted in 1985 for the purpose of “helping good kids play the hard stuff and get better.” If every teenager he’s taught, encouraged and inspired were to pick up his or her bow and start playing, you could hear them around the world. And they’d sound pretty good. Especially the Young Artist Chamber kids. The elite string orchestra includes about 40 players who are accepted after auditions. (Another 80 young violinists make up three additional orchestras sponsored by the organization). They meet at Highland High School once a week, honing their skills under the direction of the man who performed with the symphony for nearly a half-century," wrote Lee Benson. Full article at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865649992/Hes-Utahs-Music-Man.html.

Suzuki Strings students from southern Utah will join the YACP for Brandenburg Concerto #2 by Bach and the rousing "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba" from Handel's oratorio Solomon.  Suzuki Strings will also play Short Bow Jig and Blackberry Blossom from the fiddling group Barrage. 

The YAPC have chosen Fantasia of a Theme by Thomas Tallis by R. Vaughan Williams, Spanish Dance by D, Romance for Violin Solo & Strings by Shostakovich, and the Overture to "Solomon" by Handel to complete the concert.

The public is invited to the free concert.