Youth for Youth Commission Program

PACO's Youth for Youth commission program is an exciting project bringing the music of today's young composers together with our talented young musicians. Each season, PACO commissions a brand new work from a composer under the age of 21, which is then rehearsed intensively and performed on our fourth subscription concert in June. If the composer can attend enough rehearsals, they will be invited to conduct their piece in rehearsal and in concert. In addition, the new composition is taken with PACO on tour - both our annual trip to Dunsmuir and Ashland as well as our international tours.

An orchestra is not a museum, and classical music is a living, vital, ever-changing art. With PACO's Youth for Youth commissioning program, we provide a wonderful opportunity for a young composer to have a new piece written, rehearsed, and performed at the highest musical and technical level. In addition, we provide for our high-school string players a glimpse into the musical world of the future and a chance to participate in that future.

The following list comprises PACO's commissioned works since its inception in 2006:

Gabriel Smith: TBA
June 2010

Stephen Feigenbaum: Monsoon Season
May 2009

Elizabeth Lim: Crossroad
June 2008

Geoffrey Pope: Spires Unceasing
June 2007

Matthew Cmiel: Leaving Home
June 2006