Director Michael Thomas will lead the NYYS Jazz Band in his inaugural season as director. The program showcases the legacy of Thad Jones ranging from Thad Jones’s early days with the Count Basie Orchestra, to his work as a co-founder and leader of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. This concert will feature works from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, as well as NYYS First Music Commission titled Dream Logic by Ben Beckman .
About NYYS:
The New York Youth Symphony is one of the most awarded youth programs of its kind in the nation, including the 2022 Grammy award for Best Orchestral Performance. It is recognized for its innovative, educational programs for talented young musicians. Founded in 1963 as an orchestra to showcase the metropolitan area’s most gifted musicians ages 10-22, its activities have since grown to encompass programs in chamber music, conducting, composition, jazz, and musical theater songwriting with performances at world-class venues including Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Through its commissioning program, First Music, the NYYS has commissioned over 170 works from young composers since 1984.
