Tickets are $5, available at Midstate Music and SUNY Oswego Sheldon Hall Room 219 M-F 9-noon, 1-4. They can also be obtained from OCYO members, or at the door. The program will offer selections from Grieg's Holberg Suite, Britten's Simple Symphony, and Marcello's Oboe Concerto with a brief intermission.

Conducting the Oswego Community Youth Orchestra will be Dr. Juan Francisco La Manna.

Dr. La Manna is orchestra director at the State University of New York in Oswego. Prior to his appointment at SUNY Oswego, Dr. La Manna was conductor for the State Ballet of Missouri, directing the St. Louis and Kansas City Symphonies, and was music director of the Northland Symphony and the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra. Dr. La Manna was principal conductor for the Miami City Ballet for four years, directing the Cleveland Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic, and receiving rave reviews from the newspapers such as The New York Times and The Miami Herald. Recently he has been a guest conductor for The Syracuse Symphoria.

The concert will be featuring the talents of a Central Square oboist Bethany Cripps, a junior at Paul V. Moore High School. Bethany has been playing for six years. She has been a member of numerous honor bands such as the All-County Band and Orchestra. As well as the New York State School Music Association Area All-State Band and Orchestra. She has also been a part of the New York State Band Directors Association Honor Band. This year, Bethany has been a member of the Conference All-State Symphonic Band in Rochester, NY.

The Oswego Community Youth Orchestra, founded in 2007, seeks to challenge and nurture young area musicians to strive for excellence, to explore their role in humanity, and to contribute beauty to the community through the study and performance of orchestral music. Local music teachers Jacqueline Darvill and Deb Mazurek are board members and advisors.

Members of OCYO are serious string players who have fun playing quality music with other like-minded musicians. The group has traditionally consisted of high school students, but middle school students are considered based on ability. Members have consistently qualified for All County and All State Orchestra, been concert masters and principal players in their respective school districts, and received college scholarships for both academics and music. Some have entered a performance track and others have become music teachers. For more information, contact [email protected] or www.ocyo.org