PREVIEW: A Collaborative Symphony Comes to Albany
10/13 @ MVP Arena, Albany
Photos by Albany County
“Hundreds of people coming together to perform great music is the most magnificent, life-affirming way to build and celebrate our beautiful community!”
At a press conference this morning in the atrium of the MVP Arena, Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced an upcoming, thrilling collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony and the Empire State Youth Orchestra happening on October 13th within the arena.
Aptly deemed Symphony Side by Side due to members of both orchestras sitting side-by-side during the performance, the event is a family-friendly concert set to feature both symphony classics and orchestral selections from film and television hits like Wicked, How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic Park and more. What’s even more exciting is that student musicians of all educational levels are invited to join the orchestras for parts of this performance.
“We are excited to open our doors for an event that brings together young musicians with the professionals in the industry. It gives such an amazing opportunity to everyone involved, from the talented musicians who are a part of ESYO, to the seasoned professionals of the Albany Symphony,” said MVP Arena General Manager Bob Belber.
Kingston Czajkowski, a senior at Cairo-Durham High Durham High School who is also a percussionist with ESYO, is particularly excited for the opportunity to learn from other musicians, both professional and otherwise.
“Many of my friends at school participate in the event each year, and it's great to see this experience being brought to students who don't get many opportunities to play music on a stage this big,” Czajkowski said. ”Side-by-Side brings together music I love and people I love, and I'm looking forward to another day full of music-making and memories.”
At the risk of spoiling the planned grand finale, the epic concert will conclude with the opportunity for community musicians of any skill level to play and/or sing with the groups during John Williams’ “Imperial March” and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, celebrating the uniting power of music. As ESYO Music Director Etienne Abelin put it, “What could be more meaningful than raising our voices together in harmony?” Interested musicians must RSVP at the link below by October 10 to play in the finale.
As if that wasn’t enough, Side By Side offers an additional way for families to immerse themselves in the beauty of music. An “Instrument Playground” will take place on the MVP Arena Concourse, offering a chance for children to discover and try out different musical instruments. There will also be other interactive options, information, and artwork on display from community partners.
“Hundreds of people coming together to perform great music is the most magnificent, life-affirming way to build and celebrate our beautiful community!” said Albany Symphony Music Director, David Alan Miller. “We are so proud to join our ESYO friends, student musicians from public schools across our region, and amateur musicians from throughout our community for this thrilling day that celebrates the incredible power of orchestral music and collaboration.”
Symphony Side By Side will take place on October 13th from 1:00pm to 4:30pm at the MVP Arena, thanks to the Innovation Partnership of the Albany County Executive and MVP Health Care.
Students and music teachers can RSVP by October 3 to join the special student section here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch5dp_8Yd8eD28rl6__-eOXp1o3KKurPiU0u-XZg-9LjRAEQ/viewform
Singers, and community musicians can RSVP by October 10 to join Symphony Side by Side here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch5dp_8Yd8eD28rl6__-eOXp1o3KKurPiU0u-XZg-9LjRAEQ/viewform
For additional information about the concert, visit: https://www.albanysymphony.com/upcomingconcerts/symphony-side-by-side-2025
