LEWISTON — The Youth Orchestra of Lewiston-Auburn has taken on an ambitious program for its ?rst formal public concert of the new school year. It will perform Baroque and Renaissance selections on Friday, Nov. 30.

The 7 p.m. concert at 22 Park St. is free, with donations appreciated.

Western Europe emerged into vibrancy and joy with the onset of the Renaissance. Music became lighthearted and interactive. It was meant for dancing. When the Baroque era followed, musicians and other artists indulged in intricate elaborations and combinations.

YOLA conductor Linda Vaillancourt described the new orchestra season so far as fun and challenging.

“One of the pieces, Bach’s Fugue in G Minor, is played most often on the organ. It has been quite fun and quite challenging to work on this string setting of it,” she said.

The concert program includes “Courtly Dance” from “The Danserye,” a setting of one of the dances published by Tielman Susato, a notable composer of the era. “The Capriol Suite” is a modern piece by Peter Warlock but based on several dance tunes from the 1500s. He kept a great deal of the original melodies but arranged these melodies for string orchestra and added more contemporary harmonies.

YOLA is reprising “Danza,” by Vaclav Nelhybel, from last year to continue with the dance theme. The Baroque period comes into play with J.S. Bach’s “Fugue in G Minor,” also known as “Little Fugue.” Composed in the 1700s, this piece exempli?es the harmonies and counterpoint of music composition developed by this time. To round off the program, YOLA will include “Still, Still, Still,” an Austrian carol, and a few other seasonal favorites.

YOLA members, many of whom also participate in their school orchestras, were invited to participate in the Dempsey Challenge Community Celebration this fall. YOLA also played at a Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and will wrap up the semester with a holiday performance at the Auburn Mall.

Anyone interested in supporting or joining YOLA may contact Emily Tuttle at emilytuttle@roadrunner.com or visit www.yolamaine.org for more information.

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