Allegro Youth Orchestra joins rockers in performance this Sunday

Central Valley - This Sunday, Feb. 25, the Allegro Youth Orchestra will join forces with new partners in its latest musical collaboration. Having already shared the stage with jazz and rock musicians, the classical string orchestra will perform Sunday with Pan.a.ce.a, a four-piece rock band from central Pennsylvania who perform their own original high-energy music. Their compositions create interesting textures that accentuate the thoughtful, melancholy lyrics and melodies with driving and often unexpected timing and structure. Combined with punctuated rhythmic orchestral string orchestra scoring by Viktoras Prizgintas, the combined efforts of the orchestra and Pan.a.ce.a have already generated great interest and can be previewed on YouTube (log onto YouTube’s site and type “Allegro Orchestra Pan.a.ce.a.”) “I truly believe that bringing the classically trained student into the world of popular culture has its benefits,” said Prizgintas, the founder and current director of the Allegro Youth Orchestra. “Ultimately, you have only two forms of music: Good and bad. Understanding the basic elements, using them creatively and presenting them in a dynamic fashion will infuse more innovation and energy into the process. “It is there, at each rehearsal, that you begin to witness and experience the true excitement in creating music with the Allegro Youth Orchestra through such new projects,” Prizgintas added. According to the director, the juxtaposition of Allegro Youth Orchestra’s classically trained strings with the raw, dark Gothic sounds of Pan.a.ce.a create a unique bond in which Prizgintas’ original orchestral scores are able to challenge conventional wisdom and ears. The concert is Sunday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at Monroe-Woodbury High School. Admission is $8. Call 827-6498 for additional information or e-mail at orch@optonline.net.