Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra members are incredibly lucky students. Not only did they prove themselves worthy of Benaroya Hall under the deft hand of Music Director Stephen Roger Radcliffe this past Sunday, but they had the opportunity to perform with cellist superstar and Pacific Northwest native, Joshua Roman.

The program included a variety of orchestral favorites, such as Daphnis and Chloé by Ravel as well as the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Tchaikovsky. The Ravel was able to open up like the sweet flower that piece can be, with only a few stumbles here and there over rhythm and entrances. The ensemble brought the Tchaikovsky to life, with particular and much appreciated attention paid to the iconic phrasing throughout. The brass section and percussion members strutted their stuff, bringing an appropriate amount of oomph and gusto to “Dawn” and “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” from Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. Overall, I was quite impressed with the close attention that these young musicians paid to Music Director, Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. He must be fun to work with, because the mutual respect between player and conductor was palpable, allowing the group to move through any difficult or rough spots with ease. I have to give Radcliffe a nod for picking some fun orchestral favorites as well –  not only will these pieces be great experience (certainly to be freshman orchestra pieces for those heading off to college and full of solid fundamentals for the rest), but they also are fun to listen to.

In addition to the orchestral standards comprising the majority of the program, there was also a presentation of a relatively new piece by composer Aaron J. Kernis. Entitled “Dreamsongs” for Cello and Orchestra, the new work drifted between musical styles, flowing from delicate and crystalline high passages venturing all the way in the second movement to a shout out to jazz by way of the African kora-cum-cello. Joshua Roman showcased his virtuosic pizzicato fingerwork, but it was also obvious that he took time to work with the SYSO cello section. Roman brought his A-game and encouraged the ensemble to join him, never making the piece entirely about him. SYSO was up to the task, even though as Radcliffe noted at the end of the program, this music was difficult.  Fussy, textured, quiet and yet high and dissonant too boot – gone wrong, the piece could have been one of those well-intentioned musical train wrecks one often finds in high school performances. However, under Radcliffe’s tutelage and benefiting from Roman’s attention, the SYSO pulled off what other youth orchestras might not attempt.

Ultimately, the path of a young musician is never an easy one: endless hours of practice and persistent, vigilant attention to detail are not always their own instantly gratifying reward. However, the SYSO members ought to be very proud of themselves for not only doing the work, but additionally for turning up a crowd at Benaroya on a Sunday afternoon. Moreover, I applaud them for taking risk to take on such an interesting and demanding new piece along with a very solid performance of their standard repertoire.