Juilliard Preparatory Division Students to Premiere New Works Alongside New York Philharmonic

The April 20 concert at David Geffen Hall is part of the two-year Composing Inclusion program

Students from The Juilliard School's Pre-College Orchestra will play side-by-side with members of the New York Philharmonic in a concert featuring the premiere performances of several new works.

The concert marks the second performance of the two-year Composing Inclusion program, which is a joint venture between Juilliard, the Philharmonic, and the American Composers Forum (ACF). The project commissions composers from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and offers the opportunity for a multi-generational orchestra to premiere the resulting pieces.

The April 20 concert includes works by Nicolás Lell Benavides and Andrés Soto, as well as the second movement of Negro Folk Symphony, by the 20th-century African-American composer William Dawson.

The Philharmonic will be joined by around 85 16- to 18-year-old players from Juilliard's Pre-College Orchestra, under the baton of Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser.

Tickets for the concert are available here.

"My grandfather, Eduardo (Eddie) Garcia, was my first music teacher and mentor," Nicolás Lell Benavides said. "He was an accordionist who played música norteña, including rancheras and corridos popular in New Mexico. Soon after I was asked to write a work for the New York Philharmonic and Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, he passed away at age 90."

"It seemed right to compose a work that explored the idea of mentorship, passing down knowledge by showing rather than telling. I hope the audience reflects on mentors in their own lives, especially those no longer with us, and how we all learned through the beautiful grace of patience, kindness, and generosity when we were young."

"I remember the excitement of going to hear a live orchestra perform some of the world's greatest masterpieces at "Lincoln Center, Andrés Soto said. "This was the starting point for my commission, which is written from the point of view of a young musician who is just getting started in their career, those who are just starting their journey into a life devoted to music."

"The blissful innocence of youth enables a sense of joy as you discover the beauty of dedicating yourself to your craft. Everything seems possible, everything is new and exciting, and the sky's the limit. This is an emotion that is more prevalent in youth than in maturity, one I'd like to never stop feeling. My goal for the piece is to encourage the young musicians to always strive to maintain this sense of wonder in their lives, and for the more mature veterans at the New York Philharmonic to look back fondly, or perhaps even recover, some of these emotions from their past."