This concert will feature our young artist competition winners, as well as offering a vibrant blend of musical voices across time and geography. Yasushi Akutagawa’s Finale from Music for Symphony Orchestra bursts with rhythmic energy and bold orchestration, reflecting the mid-20th-century fusion of Western and Japanese influences. Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, a hallmark of musical Impressionism, evokes a dreamlike atmosphere with its sensual harmonies and fluid textures. Beethoven’s Lenore Overture No. 3 showcases his dramatic intensity and storytelling prowess, capturing the emotional core of his only opera, Fidelio. Closing the concert is Arturo Márquez’s Conga del Fuego Nuevo, an irresistible celebration of rhythm and Latin American spirit.