Young People’s Concert on ICAN Radio

students line up outside the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for 'The Nature of Music" performance

Dive into the Magic of Music and Nature with ICAN and the Oregon Symphony!

We’re thrilled to announce a special collaboration between ICAN and the Oregon Symphony for a broadcast edition of their Young People’s Concert! Mark your calendars for February 5th, when this enchanting event takes over the airwaves.

🌿 What to Expect

This broadcast is inspired by the Oregon Symphony’s The Nature of Music live performances, happening February 12th in Salem and February 13th in Portland. The Oregon Symphony’s Associate Conductor Deanna Tham and co-host Amir Avsker, All Classical Radio and ICAN’s 2023 Young Artist in Residence, will guide you through an imaginative journey through rivers, forests, and gardens—all brought to life through the theater of the mind and classical masterpieces.

🎼 Featured Works

Bedrich Smetana: Ma Vlast – “Vltava” (The Moldau River)
Nancy Ives: selection from The Spirit of the Columbia
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 6 “Pastoral”
- iii. Allegro (Merry Gathering of Country Folk)
- iv. Allegro (Thunder. Storm.)
Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons – Winter
- i. Allegro non molto
Maurice Ravel: Mother Goose Suite (Ma mère l’oye)
- xi. Le Jardin féerique (Fairy Garden)
Edward Elgar: Wand of Youth, Suite no. 2
- iii. Moths & Butterflies (Dance)
- vi. The Wild Bears
Aaron Copland: Variations on a Shaker Hymn from Appalachian Spring

📅 How to Tune In

The Young People’s Concert Broadcast with ICAN and the Oregon Symphony airing:

Where: ICANradio.org
Date: Wednesday, February 5th
Times: Noon and 5 PM Pacific

🎒 Teacher Resources

Want to explore the music beforehand? Check out the Oregon Symphony’s Teacher Guide to dive deeper into the pieces featured in the concert and broadcast.

oregonsymphony_youngpeoplesconcert_teachersguide_2024-25 Download

🎙️ Meet the Hosts:

Deanna Tham is known for her captivating and tenacious spirit on and off the podium. She is currently the Associate Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, Music Director of the Union Symphony Orchestra, and Interim Music Director of the Portland Chamber Orchestra. She is also a 2024 La Maestra Conducting Competition semi-finalist and La Maestra academian. Tham is also regularly guest conducts with her engagements including the Oregon Symphony, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Orpheus PDX, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, and 45th Parallel.

Learn more about Deanna in ICAN Become… A Conductor!

Amir Avsker is a well-rounded young pianist, violinist, composer, and conductor. Avsker performs as a soloist, a chamber musician, and an orchestra player on national and international stages. He conducted the Metropolitan Youth Symphony in his own Freedom Overture at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland in June 2024, and later that summer he served as concertmaster and conducted the orchestra on their tour to Spain and Portugal. Avsker was the 2023 Young Artist in Residence of All Classical Radio.