Over the years, the city of Tacoma has been proud to support the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association. Now the two orchestras are joining forces to say "Thank You" to the city with a free concert underwritten by Dr. Hsushi Yeh and sponsored by the Connelly Law Offices, the Tacoma News Tribune, the Titus-Will Auto Group, and the Leavitt Group Northwest.

At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10, the Pantages Theater will host the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and the Tacoma Youth Symphony as they present a program of music by Tchaikovsky, Rosauro and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Under the direction of Paul-Elliott Cobb, the Tacoma Youth Symphony will perform Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky's Suite from "Romeo and Juliet," followed by the Brazilian composer Nay Gabriel Rosauro's concerto for Marimba and Orchestra. Then the Youth Symphony will join forces with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra to perform Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherezade" conducted by Sarah Ioannides.

More than 40 high school-age musicians make up the Tacoma Youth Symphony Orchestra. This joint concert is meant to strengthen the connection between these talented young people and the adult musicians who comprise the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, with the hope of supporting mentoring relationships between professional musicians and students.

Ioannides, the conductor of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, speaks to the value of these relationships when she says, "Many of the Tacoma Symphony musicians are alumni of TYSA, and all of them benefited from programs like TYSA in their own communities of origin. These students are the future of orchestral music, and we want to do everything we can to support and nurture their artistic development."

Cobb's words echo that sentiment: "There is no generation gap where symphonic music is concerned, but only the joy of music making and sharing that joy with our Tacoma community."

While the concert is free, tickets must be reserved ahead of time and donations will be accepted. All proceeds will go to the Tacoma Symphony and to the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association's youth education programs and scholarship funds.

"Thank You Tacoma Concert," 2:30 p.m., Sunday, April 10, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, Free, 253.591.5894