About "Cheers to Youth!" 2023

Pam Hahn and Vanja Gjumar Nikolovski

This month I asked Vanja to tell us a few things about the upcoming Cheers to Youth! concert.

Q: Without a Youth Competition winner, you had to quickly come up with substitute music for the coming Cheers to Youth! concert. What prompted you to choose Dvořák's Slavonic Dances and the Brahms Hungarian Dances?

A: Well, I do miss young players on the stage. But, this time I needed to substitute eventual concerto with something else. Dvořákk and Brahms are not necessarily pieces for only young listeners, but are suitable for any audience. Always fresh, beautiful, closely related with people who love classical music. I truly believe this choice will be appreciated from everybody.

Q: Peter and the Wolf is an iconic children's story that many of us learned about in our early years. For those who haven't heard this piece, what is so unique about it?

A: Indeed, Peter and the Wolf is a musical pearl in children’s world. Just the story itself is so unique; the young boy to catch a dangerous wolf? Sounds impossible!  And how little animals help him to achieve such a brave attempt! Music matches perfectly to the story. Narrator brings closer connection between the story and the audience. Prokofiev’s musical idea is simply astonishing. 

Q: What is your favorite selection in this program and why?

A: I was really hoping that I can avoid that answer. Every piece in the program is close to me. I love Mendelssohn, Dvořák and Brahms. Maybe because of its “complex simplicity” I will go with Prokofiev. Also maybe because I want to be a child one more time.