San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
Sibelius 2
February 28, 2027
Overview
Italy’s mystery and allure run throughout this SF Symphony Youth Orchestra program. Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana brings operatic heat, while Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture etches a dramatic portrait of a Roman general. Sibelius’s Second Symphony recalls Italy in its sun-drenched opening before yielding to icy Nordic winds and defiant Finnish national pride. Also on the program, SF Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition winner Aeneas Yu performs Keiko Abe’s dazzling Prism Rhapsody for marimba and orchestra.About the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
Artists
Conductor, Wattis Foundation Music Director
Aeneas Yu
Marimba
SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
Program
Ludwig van
Beethoven
Coriolan Overture
Pietro
Mascagni
Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
Keiko
Abe
Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra
Jean
Sibelius
Symphony No. 2
Sponsors
This concert is generously supported by the Phyllis C. Wattis Youth Symphony Fund.
Radu Paponiu
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Radu Paponiu
Conductor, Wattis Foundation Music Director
Radu Paponiu was appointed Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in fall 2024, and recently extended his contract through the 2028–29 season. He was previously associate conductor of the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic and music director of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He has also served as music director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic, and as a member of the conducting faculty of the Juilliard Pre-College.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladmir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Born in Romania, Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, came to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, and later completed two degrees in violin performance at the Colburn School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff.
As a guest conductor, Paponiu has appeared with the Romanian National Radio Symphony, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Transylvania State Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra. He has collaborated with soloists such as Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Midori, Vladmir Feltsman, Robert Levin, Charles Yang, Nancy Zhou, Stella Chen, and the Ébène Quartet.
Born in Romania, Paponiu began his musical studies on the violin at age seven, came to the United States at the invitation of the Perlman Music Program, and later completed two degrees in violin performance at the Colburn School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Hugh Wolff.
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