Zander Leads Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra This Sunday

Benjamin Zander conducts the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in its debut concert this Sunday at Symphony Hall. Most of it, anyway. He'll be conducting Beethoven's "Egmont Overture" and Richard Strauss's "Ein Heldenblen" (A Hero's Life) but then he'll turn the podium over to Rafael Payare, winner of this year's Malko Conducting Competition. Payare grew up in Venezuela's acclaimed El  Sistema program. He'll be conducting Alisa Weilerstein in Elgar's Cello Concerto.

The concert marks Zander's return to conducting a youth orchestra following is controversial firing by the New England Conservatory. He had used a videographer who was a registered sex offender, though about two dozen NEC students followed Zander to the Boston Philharmonic youth orchestra. Andrea Shea picked up the story last month:

At the BPYO’s first rehearsal in September, a small army of eager musicians filtered into a concert hall at the Franklin Institute in Boston’s South End. The little-known space is actually a replica of Symphony Hall, just one-third the size. They navigated their instruments through a forest of music stands, searching for their names printed large on sheets of white paper.

Click here to read or listen to Shea's full report.

And for Radio Boston's report, click here.