SYMPHONY Orchestra will open season Sat.
A prize-winning pianist, Olga Kern, will play.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Isaiah Jackson, kicks off its 80th anniversary season at 8 p.m. Saturday at Edward W. Powers Auditorium.
Russian-born pianist Olga Kern, winner of the gold medal at the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2001, will performRachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, the selection that won her the gold at the quadrennial competition.
Kern is the first woman to have achieved the gold medal distinction in more than 30 years. Since winning the Cliburn gold medal, Olga Kern has captivated fans and critics alike with her passionately confident musicianship and vivid stage presence.
Musical family
Kern was born into a family of musicians (her great-great-grandmother was a friend of Tchaikovsky's, and her great-grandmother sang with Rachmaninoff) and began studying piano at the age of 5. Winner of the first Rachmaninoff Piano Competition when she was 17, Kern is a laureate of 11 international competitions and has toured throughout her native Russia, Europe, the United States, Japan, South Africa and South Korea.
In addition to the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto, the orchestra will perform Brahms Second Symphony.
Soiree and dinner
Before the concert, the Youngstown Symphony Guild will host a soiree and dinner in the Grand Lobby beginning with champagne and cocktails at 5:30 p.m. The Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra Ensemble will provide dinner music.
Tickets for reserved dinner seating and the concert are available by calling the center box office at (330) 744-0264. The call to the concert will be heralded by orchestra principal trumpet Christopher Krummel.