Spring is well underway and classical music fans have not one but two fantastic, free events coming up in Yonkers.
From Paris to Maine: Impressionism in Art and Music at the Hudson River Museum
First, this Sunday, April 26 at 2 PM, The Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra will be hosting a free concert as part of the Hudson River Museum’s Earth Day celebration. From Paris to Maine: Impressionism in Art and Music, taking place in the HRM Theater, brings together art historians Laura D. Corey and Kirsten Jensen, Yonkers Philharmonic conductor Ariel Rudiakov, and a sextet of musicians for a program exploring Childe Hassam and American Impressionism, with a focus on his 1902 painting Summer Sea, Isles of Shoals, on loan from the Toledo Museum of Art. Performers include violinists Urara Mogi and Emanouil Manolov, violist Ariel Rudiakov, cellist Karen Charif, flutist Adam Ray, and harpist Renee Murphy.
This fully immersive experience combines conversation, projected images, and a live orchestra—including works by Claude Debussy and Marcel Grandjany—to examine the transatlantic exchanges that shaped Impressionism in both visual art and music.
For more info, visit the Hudson River Museum website.
The Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra 47th Annual Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners Concert
Then, on Saturday May 9, 2026, at 3pm The Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra 47th Annual Young Artists Concerto Competition Winners Concert will take place at Saunders Trade & Technical High School Auditorium.
The YPO is pleased to announce the winners of the competition, who will all be performing:
The 1st place winner is Ben Puts, cello, who will be playing Lalo Cello Concerto in D Minor. The 2nd place winner is Taira Matsumoto, alto saxophone, who will be playing the Glazanov Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra op.106. And the 3rd Place winner is Yuto Lim, violin, who will be playing a movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64.
The Annual Concerto Competition is open each year to applications from High School Students (grades 9 – 12) who are residents in Westchester County, NY. The three winners will perform as soloists with the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra in a special concert under the baton of Maestro Ariel Rudiakov.
For more information, check out the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra website.
Yonkers Philharmonic History: Providing Classical Music and Education for over 60 Years
Founded in 1962, The Fine Arts Orchestral Society of Yonkers (FAOS) has been dedicated to providing free, live symphonic concerts to Yonkers residents and neighboring communities. FAOS sponsors the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra who, in addition to hosting free Sunday afternoon concerts, also provide senior citizens and families with free recreational and cultural programs, offer aspiring young musicians the educational opportunity to be an integral part of an orchestra, showcase talented high-school soloists from all of Westchester County, and promote music education and appreciation by providing the audience with program notes as well as verbal anecdotes by the conductor.
Ariel Rudiakov, conductor and violist, currently serves as the Music Director of the Yonkers Philharmonic. A violist and educator, he has held leadership roles with orchestras across the Northeast and has served on the faculties of the University of Indianapolis and Yale University, and is also the cofounder of Taconic Music.
Get Involved
The Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra is currently looking for volunteers as well as board members to help keep the arts alive in Yonkers. Anyone who is dedicated to music and the arts can apply to work with other board members to guide the orchestra’s not-for-profit operations and fiscal management can apply to be on the board, or to volunteer for various tasks including marketing, fundraising, and more.
Interested parties can Download a PDF version of our application form by clicking here and return the form to the following address:
Fine Arts Orchestral Society
Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra
PO Box 705
Yonkers, NY 10704
