MANSFIELD — The talented area youth who make up the Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings will perform their fall concert at the Lexington High School Auditorium, at 103 Clever Lane, in Lexington, Ohio. 

The concert is under the direction of MSYS director and conductor Alora Eyerly and will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m.

The MSYS will perform: Angels We Have Heard on High, Arr. Elliot Del Borgo; Fantasy on Greensleeves, Arr. by Mark Williams; Sweet Petite Winter Suite by Brian Balmages; Star Dancer by Mark Williams; December Fanfare by Andrew Dabczynski; Scarborough Fair, Arr. by Brian Balmages; and A Christmas Symphony, Arr. by Elliot Del Borgo.

According to director and conductor Alora Eyerly, “We hope to get you into the Christmas spirit early this year with classics that you all know and some new ones, too!” 

The MSYS includes some of North Central Ohio’s finest string musicians, primarily in middle and junior high school, representing approximately 20 members this season who perform concerts onstage at the Renaissance and in the community. 

A vital part of the Mansfield Symphony’s Education initiative, the MYS gives participating students an additional opportunity for musical growth by rehearsing and performing with other student musicians from the area, allowing them to perform a wide variety of music.

This season’s youth strings group is primarily made of students from a 12-county region, including:

  • Violin I: Ezra Anderson, Eliana Selvage, Odin Sombrio, Gabriella Van Langevelde, Rian Walker 
  • Violin II: Amyah Chiverton, Simon Domka, Madeline Erlenbach, Cacie Norton, Jacoby Rapp, Aiden Schmitt
  • Viola: Olivia Casto, Sydney Miley, Layvin Padisak, Charlize Plogstead
  • Cello: Gabriel McFadden, Harrison Rice, Jonah Wilson, Layla Wehr
  • Bass:  David Secrist

Tickets are available at the Renaissance Box Office, over the phone at 419-522-2726, and online at rentickets.org. Adult tickets are $10 while student tickets are $5. Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings performances are presented as part of the Mechanics Bank Education Series with additional support from the Russell and Mary Gimbel Foundation.

About the Director

Director and conductor Alora Eyerly was born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio.  She is a 2019 Lexington Graduate and is the daughter of Stephen and Brenda Domka. Eyerly began playing the violin at the young age of three under the tutelage of her father, Stephen Domka. She began piano lessons at eight years old with Carol Bernhardt and finished high school years with the late Liz Pastor (Ashland University Piano Professor). Alora also participated in Youth Strings, under the direction of the late Percy Hall, and Matt Domka; while also participating in the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra under the direction of Randy Heidlebaugh. Mrs. Eyerly is a Kent State University graduate with an associate’s degree in The Arts and a bachelor’s degree in K-12 Music Education. Her primary violin teachers were Cathy Meng-Robinson (Curtis Graduate and studied under Ivan Galamian), Jung-Min Amy Lee (Curtis and Julliard Graduate and associate concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra), and Dr. Euhno Kim (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Graduate).  Alora often plays with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra as a substitute violinist. In addition to playing in an orchestral setting, she is an active chamber musician with her family. She currently has a private studio where she teaches violin and viola students.