The Atlanta Youth Symphony (AYWS), established in 1988 as the premiere youth wind ensemble in the Atlanta metropolitan arts community, will make a special appearance in Fayetteville this weekend when the group performs with the Fayette County High School Wind Ensemble at the Villages Amphitheater on Saturday, April 21.

Membership to the AYWS has been drawn from approximately 60 different high schools in Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton, Fayette, Cherokee, Coweta, Henry, Clayton, Rockdale, Morgan, and Forsyth counties. In addition, students have recently traveled as far as Augusta and Rome to participate. Membership is competitive by auditions, and the group is comprised of a select group of the finest high school wind and percussion instrumentalists in the area.

The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony is sponsored by Emory University and rehearses once a week for two hours. They perform four concerts annually on the Emory campus.

The AYWS tours regularly, participates in commissions, and frequently performs with guest soloists, composers, and conductors of national and international renown.

The AYWS has recently appeared at the Georgia Music Educators Association State In-Conference, the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division conference, Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

The Music Director and Conductor of the Atlanta Youth Symphony is Dr. Scott A. Stewart, director of wind studies at Emory University. He holds bachelor of music education and doctor of conducting degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, and a master of music education from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony and the Fayette County High School Wind Ensemble will perform Saturday, April 21. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

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