Get tickets June 16 for U.S. debut of Iraqi youth orchestra with EYSO

The internationally acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of Iraq caps three weeks of intensive study in the U.S. with two collaborative concerts with Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra in August.

The concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 and Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Elgin Community College Arts Center located in Building H, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

These concerts mark the U.S. debut of Iraqi orchestra.

Works scheduled to be performed include Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto (with soloist Angelia Cho), Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and two new commissions by Iraqi composers Amir Elsaffar and Abdullah Jamal Sagirma.

Tickets are $25 or $20 for students with ID and seniors, age 65 and older. VIP tickets are $35 and include a meet-and-greet with the NYOI and EYSO artists following the performances.

Tickets go on sale Monday, June 16. For tickets or more information call (847) 622-0300 or visit tickets.elgin.edu.

This concert is made possible with support from the following collaborating organizations: National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, Northern Illinois University, Elgin Community College Arts Center, the Iraq Foundation, the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.

Founded in 2009 by a 17-year-old pianist in Baghdad, the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, under the direction of Paul MacAlindin, is a group of 44 musicians age 18-29 from all across the country who overcome ethnic, religious, language, and gender barriers to study and perform music together. Having performed to sold-out audiences in Germany, the U.K., and France, the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq makes their American debut this summer with performances in Elgin, Washington, D.C. and New York City.

By traveling abroad, the musicians of NYOI share their message of reconciliation and harmony with a global audience, and learn artistic and collaborative skills to rebuild the musical landscape of Iraq.

Learn more and support the U.S. tour through the Kickstarter campaign at kck.st/QKiVOy.

The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Randal Swiggum, is an In-Residence Ensemble in the Arts Center at Elgin Community College and is home to five orchestras and a brass choir with 350 students from more than 60 communities. Founded in 1976, its mission is to create a community of young musicians, enriching their lives and the lives of their families, schools, communities and beyond, through the study and performance of excellent music. For more information, visit eyso.org.