Conductor and Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie with American Youth Symphony
At 7pm on February 20th at Royce Hall, AYS will be joined by not one, but two guest conductors. Conductor and Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie will lead the orchestra in Philip Glass’ The American Four Seasons, and Maestro Marc Williams will conduct Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
Maestro McDuffie gave the world premiere of The American Four Seasons -- a work written for and dedicated to him by composer Philip Glass -- with the Toronto Symphony, and completed a thirty-city U.S. tour with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, pairing the Glass Four Seasons with the Vivaldi Four Seasons. He enjoys a dynamic and multi-faceted career, appearing as soloist with the world's foremost orchestras, while also occasionally sharing the stage with Gregg Allman and Chuck Leavell in "Midnight Rider," with actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith in Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," or playing Bach for Memphis Jook dancerLi'l Buck.
Maestro Marc Williams regularly conducts various ensembles on the East Coast of the United States, having made his Carnegie Hall debut leading the New York–based contemporary music ensemble Second Instrumental Unit, of which he served as co-executive director and principal conductor. He also recently served on the conducting staff at Spoleto Festival USA for seven seasons as Resident Conductor and assistant to the Music Director. Maestro Williams is also a Resident Conductor with the American Youth Symphony this season.
