What does yellow sound like? Or red? Or blue? What about when you combine those primary colors into shades of green, orange, or purple? Music works similarly with shades of sound that combine various timbres and qualities to produce a palette that composers use to create works of sonic art. Some of those works can be literal and concrete, like scores written for films or with a specific program, while others can be more abstract and impressionistic. This semester the GPAC Youth Symphony Program will present a concert that combines the unique shades of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion in creative and evocative ways on Sunday, April 28 featuring the Mozart String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Mendelssohn String Orchestra, the GYSO String Quartets, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra. Through works including “Pirates of the Caribbean'' by Klaus Badelt, “Avatar” by Doug Spata, “Heartland Overture'' by William Himes, Soon Hee Newbold’s “Lion City,” Eric Whitacre’s “October,” and “Zigeunerweisen” by Pablo de Sarasate featuring our concerto competition winning flautist Ella Liu, the GPAC Youth Symphony Program invites you to experience the vast and rich sonic palette of the orchestra through our program: Shades of Sound.

Ella Liu, is a freshman at Collierville High School in Tennessee. She has studied with Mrs. Myung Kim for over four years and has been a member of the GPAC Youth Symphony Orchestra and Memphis Youth Wind Ensemble & Chamber Orchestra since 2022. Ella has earned prizes in various international, national, and state woodwind competitions. Her accolades include National Finalist in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition, First Prize in the International Grande Music Competition (IGMC), 1st Place in the Tennessee Music Teacher Association Competition, and the first chair in the Tennessee All West Blue Band. In addition to the flute, Ella has also earned numerous prizes in piano competitions. These include Memphis International Piano Competition, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Competition, Tennessee Music Teacher Association Piano Competition, and the Inaugural ETSU International Piano Competition.