VYOA Blog

How about the VYO “Bon Voyage” concert on Friday night at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts? It was an apex of concerts, for a variety of very good reasons.

The orchestra soared effortlessly through the program: Corigliano’s Voyage, lush and haunting; Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea & Prosperous Voyage, as serene as the sea. Drake Mabry’s Prelude and Tango literally danced and the Saint-Saëns Baccchanal positively rocked. But, it was the VYO’s swingin’ rendition of An American in Paris that seemed to jive the most with our audience members. Overheard in the lobby afterwards: “The Gershwin…juicy!” High praise indeed.

Accolades for Troy during his final Vermont concert added a bittersweet layer to the evening. Governor Douglas opened the concert with a few friendly jabs (“Do you know how hot it is in Texas?”) yet heartfelt praise for the artistic accomplishments that Troy has achieved with the VYOA. Caroline Whiddon read aloud a letter written by Senator Leahy to Troy in commemoration of the occasion. Following intermission, Alex Aldrich presented Troy with a Citation of Artistic Merit on behalf of the Vermont Arts Council. Still more high – and much deserved – praise.

By concert’s end, the celebration hit it’s peak. The audience was on their feet, and the applause, endless. The VYO responded in kind with an encore of selections from West Side Story. Interestingly enough, the repertoire for Troy’s first VYO concert in 1995 included selections from West Side Story. It is fitting that the same music should be the final piece played at the Flynn on Friday night. Symmetry is sweet.

Lisamarie Charlesworth, VYOA Director of Marketing    (Photos: David Yandell)