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Community Corner

Villanova Resident, Portia Maidment Violinist in the Philadelphia Youth Artists Orchestra, Will Perform on Tuesday, December 17th at Saint Mark's Church

 The talented young musicians of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) ensemble of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization is comprised of children ages 10-16 from across the Delaware Valley , including violinist Portia Maidment of Villanova. Along with the Upper Darby High School Encore Singers, the two groups will make the holidays especially bright in their joint performance of Baroque masterworks and carols of the season to benefit the St. James School, a middle school in the Allegheny West neighborhood of Philadelphia, whose primary mission is to bridge academic achievement gaps and improve literacy and math proficiencies. 

Young student instrumentalists and choristers reaching out through music to help other children in an under-resourced community will create a very special atmosphere at the annual benefit concert produced by the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization at St. Mark’s Church in Center City. Located at 16 25 Locust Street in Philadelphia, the tickets are $10 general admission and free for children 13 and under. For information, call 215-545-0502.

The highly regarded Philadelphia Youth Orchestra organization has produced an annual concert featuring the PYAO to benefit the St. James School since St. Mark’s Church adopted the property of the abandoned St. James parish in 2011 and reopened the educational facility with a renewed commitment to the underserved population in the surrounding community.  Led by the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra President Louis Scaglione, the PYAO ensemble has a history of service, performing benefit concerts for 17 years at St. Mark's Church for such recipients as MANNA and Reach Out and Read of The Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia. PYAO’s gifted young instrumentalists are 10 to 16 years of age and are training to join the organization’s renowned flagship ensemble, The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. The PYAO, established in 1996 through a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, offers one of the premiere youth orchestral experiences in the region to younger classical music students.  

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