In June, Dave Schreier, UCF Assistant Director of Bands, was invited to conduct the American Youth Ensemble during their Italy Tour as one of two principal conductors. Members of Youth Bands of Orlando in partnership with UCF’s School of Performing Arts, and other youth bands across the country, came together to form the American Youth Ensembles Wind Ensemble for this performance tour. The high school and college age students met in Pennsylvania for a day and a half of intensive rehearsals before leaving for Milan, Italy.
The tour was 7 days and included three performances. The first performance was in Pavia, Italy at the Castello di Mornico Losana, a beautiful historic castle. The American Youth Ensemble Wind Ensemble was a featured performing group as part of a month-long music festival.
The second and third performances took place in Rome as part of the Roma si Canta 2019 Music Festival. The performances were held at the Palazzo Della Cancelleria, a Vatican-run palace considered to be the oldest renaissance palace in Rome. One performance was held in the Basilica featuring sacred music, and the second was held in the courtyard, featuring a more varied program of standard band literature.
The trip also afforded the students musical, cultural and historical opportunities, including a tour of a violin making school in Cremona, Italy. This was the second time Mr. Schreier has been a principal conductor for the American Youth Ensemble, also conducting in 2016 for the ensemble’s Germany/Austria tour.