The American Youth Philharmonic (AYP) and Music Director Daniel Spalding welcome to the stage renowned musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra, violinist Nurit Bar-Josef and cellist James Lee, performing the Double Concerto in A minor by Brahms. The concert takes place Sunday, April 14, 3:00 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia. Additional repertoire includes Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach (trans. Stokowski) and Symphony No. 5 in C minor by Beethoven.

"I love the fact that we are presenting in one program the 'Three B's': Bach, Beethoven and Brahms," said Maestro Spalding. "This is repertory that everyone loves and I know the orchestra is excited about this concert. Personally, I'm looking forward to making our debut at the beautiful Hylton Performing Arts Center and collaborating with Ms. Bar-Josef and Mr. Lee on the Brahms Double Concerto. This should be a concert to remember."

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), $10 for students (including college with ID), and free for music teachers. Tickets are available online or at the venue box office.

About the Guest Artist: Nurit Bar-Josef made her well-received concerto debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in February 2002, after joining the Orchestra at age 26 as Concertmaster in September 2001. Previously she served as assistant concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops and one year as assistant principal second violin with the Saint Louis Symphony. Ms. Bar-Josef received her bachelor's degree from The Curtis Institute, studying with Aaron Rosand, and was the recipient of the Fritz Kreisler Award for Violin upon graduation. She continued her studies at The Juilliard School with Robert Mann. Ms. Bar-Josef has been featured on NPR's Weekend Edition, as well as in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Symphony magazine. Ms. Bar-Josef won first prize in several competitions, including the Boston Symphony Concerto Competition, Wellesley Symphony, Corpus Christi Young Artists Competition, and Juilliard's Concerto Competition. In 1997, she made her New York debut with the Juilliard Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall. Other solo appearances include performances with the orchestras of Boston, Saint Louis, Boston Pops, Boston Classical Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony, Virginia Chamber Orchestra, International Symphony Orchestra (Israel), and Corpus Christi. [Complete Biography]

About the Guest Artist: James Lee was born in the San Francisco Bay Area where he made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 15. He received his bachelor's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and his master's degree from the Juilliard School. That year he became a member of the National Symphony Orchestra. At Juilliard, Lee served as principal of both the Juilliard Orchestra and the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra. As the winner of the prestigious Juilliard Cello Competition, he was a featured soloist at Alice Tully Hall. Lee's teachers have included Margaret Rowell, Bonnie Hampton, Leonard Rose, and Joel Krosnick. Lee appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra in the 1988 world premiere of Andreas Makris's Concertante under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich. In the 2010-2011 season, Lee was a featured soloist with the National Symphony at Wolf Trap under the baton of Tan Dun performing his Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto. A devoted chamber musician, Lee is the artistic director and founder of the National Chamber Players at Episcopal High School. Lee is also a member of 4inCorrespondence. [Complete Biography]