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The KPAC Blog features classical music news, reviews, and analysis from South Texas and around the world.

YOSA Honors Bowie's Classical Side

Youth Orchestras of San Antonio continues its recent theme of interpreting classical music through a rock-n-roll filter. The recent passing of rock legend David Bowie made Troy Peters think something had to be done.

"YOSA's going to be presenting a concert at the Tobin called Remembering Bowie. It's a classical music tribute to David Bowie," Peters says.

As to what they're playing -- a huge variety.

"I wrote a piece. We have music by Phillip Glass. And then we've also got classical music that David Bowie loved, by the English composer Henry Purcell, Arvo Pärt, Tchaikovski. These are pieces he talked about, and had relationships with," he says.

Peters' tribute to Bowie was not taken lightly.

"I grew up in the 1980s and was enamored of David Bowie. He was one of the first artistic figures that got me to thinking that a way that a musician could move though the world and not just make music, but have an impact on the culture."

Unlike last year's Abbey Road event, no rock bands will play.

"We haveSOLI Chamber Ensemble, these consummate artists in new classical music."

SOLI clarinetist Stephanie Key is a YOSA alum.

"It's fascinating and wonderful and we're honored and totally excited to be a part of this project."

Key has gone on to great heights since her time with YOSA. 

"It's a gas," Key says with a laugh. "It's just a wonderful process to go through, and to work with these students and to see, to share smiles and giggles when we were rehearsing yesterday, I mean...it was just really fabulous. I mean, you gotta come. You gotta see this!"

YOSA's Remembering Bowie concert will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6th at the Tobin Center at the H-E-B Performance Hall.

Find more on YOSA here

Find more on SOLI Chamber Ensemble here

Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii