Symphony Will Again Perform Without Its New Leader
YOUNGSTOWN – For the second straight time, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra will perform a regularly scheduled concert without its new music director-conductor, Sergey Bogza.
The “Back to the Future” concert will instead be led by Erik Ochsner, who served several times as a guest conductor over the past two years as the YSO searched for a new leader.
In the concert, the orchestra will perform Alan Silvestri’s score to the blockbuster 1985 film, which will be shown on a screen above the stage. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Powers Auditorium.
Bogza put together the YSO’s 2024-25 season during the summer but has yet to appear with the orchestra as its leader.
The Russian-born maestro was hired in July. But he was unavailable to conduct the YSO’s season-opening concert on Oct. 5, which would have been his first appearance with the orchestra.
Matt Pagac, chief executive and operating officer of the YSO, said Bogza is still employed as the orchestra’s music director and conductor.
“He has had a series of unforeseen circumstances that he continues to work through,” Pagac said in an email. “We are unsure of the time he will need to navigate the situations he is working through.”
The YSO will provide a more detailed update as soon as it is able to, Pagac said.
The “Back to the Future” concert will be Ochsner’s sixth time conducting the YSO. The Finnish American is known for his movie score concerts and is considered by critics to be one of the leaders of the format because of his energy, attention to detail and precise synchronization.
He led the YSO in performing “Ghostbusters” in 2022 and “Home Alone” in 2023. Ochsner also conducted the YSO in March 2023, March 2024, and most recently in April with local rock band The Vindys.
He conducted the world premiere of “Mary Poppins in Concert” at the Sydney Opera House; was the principal touring conductor of “La La Land Live in Concert,” and has conducted many of the best film scores, including “E.T.,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Star Wars.”
Tickets for the Nov. 2 and 3 YSO concerts at Powers Auditorium are available online at youngstownsymphony.com or by calling the box office at 330 259 9651.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
