PENDLETON — Zach Backs, orchestra conductor for the Oregon East Symphony, conducts his final performance of the youth ensemble for their spring concert on Thursday, May 15, 7 p.m. at Vert Auditorium, 480 SW Dorion Ave.

The ensemble will be joined by the beginner level Preludes Orchestra. The concert will be followed by a reception in the Vert Clubroom downstairs.

An encore performance by both ensembles is planned for Friday, May 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Pendleton Farmers Market on Main Street.

Both performances are free for the public.

Banks, who also serves as OES’s education director, principal cellist and assistant conductor, will be entering a doctorate of orchestral conducting program at the University of Washington this fall. The highly selective program under the direction of Professor David Alexander Rahbee only has two students in the graduate program at any time. Banks has been with OES since 2018.

“This will be a bittersweet concert,” said J.D. Kindle, OES executive director. “On one hand this is an amazing opportunity for Zach. He is an extremely talented musician and conductor who has brought out the best in those he directs. The work that he has been doing for OES has no doubt played a part in preparing him for the next step in his career.

“However we are also sad to see him leave our community as he and Viet Block — his wife, musical partner and OES’s assistant concertmaster — have become well loved by our students, their families, our board of directors and our audience. The work he has done to increase the quality of our education programming and create new activities and opportunities for the rural youth of our community has been transformative for OES. It will be quite the challenge to select his successor in carrying on this momentum.”

The concert

The intermediate level OES Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Banks, will perform the Overture to Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 20” by Elgar, and “Danza Finale” from Ginastera’s “Estancia” which will feature a guest appearance by OES Principal Percussionist John Wilson on timpani and OES Youth Board Member and Percussionist May Benson on xylophone.

The beginner level Preludes Orchestra, under the direction of OES Section Violinist/Violist Emma Norquist with assistance from Journey Hahn, will perform “Minuet” by Handel, the Korean folk song “Arirang,” and an orchestral arrangement of “Seven Nation Army” by the rock band The White Stripes.

The Symphony Strings will also present their end-of-year performance at the Thursday concert. Symphony Strings is a collaborative program between OES and the Pendleton School District to provide beginner-level group instruction on string instruments (violin, viola, cello) for Pendleton area fourth and fifth grade students.

For more information on the Oregon East Symphony’s education and concert programming, or to make a donation in support of OES’s education programming, visit www.OregonEastSymphony.org, call 541-276-0320, or email info@oregonEastSymphony.org.