The concert will include: the Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lehmann, USM professor of music and director of string studies and orchestral activities; the Portland Youth Wind Ensemble, conducted by Peter Martin, USM professor of music; the Portland Young People’s String Consort, conducted by Deborah Dabczynski; and the Portland Youth Junior Orchestra, conducted by Ferdinand Liva, USM violin artist faculty.

“When I hear the USM Youth Ensembles on the stage of Merrill Auditorium and I look around at the proud families, friends and teachers in the audience, I see the impact an engaged university can have on the community it serves,” said Alan Kaschub, interim director of the USM School of Music. “This program harnesses the collective energy of hundreds of committed students, school music teachers, university faculty and staff into a truly magical experience.”

Kaschub also noted that the concert provides an opportunity for prospective members to check out what the USM Youth Ensembles are all about.

The concert will open with the Portland Youth Wind Ensemble. The wind ensemble will present the Maine premiere performance of Rolland Merritt’s “Burn.” They also will perform Yasuhide Ito’s “Gloriosa,” which Martin said is “full of vim and vigor, pizzazz and big drumming.” The second movement will feature solo piccolo by Alexandra Ertmen of Falmouth. The final piece will be a light-hearted polka by Dmitri Shostakovich, which features co-principal bassoons, Devin Adams of Limerick, and Adam Poitras of Windham.

Following will be the Portland Young People’s String Consort. The string consort will perform Mozart’s “Rondo Presto,” Tchaikovsky’s “Little March” from Symphony No. 2, Soon Hee Newbold’s “Fire Dance,” Corelli’s “Prelude and Gavotte” and Richard Meyer’s “Terra Nova.”

The Portland Youth Junior Orchestra will continue with Bach’s “Brandenburg No. 3” and Alexander Glazunov’s “Theme and Variations for String Orchestra.”

The Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra will conclude the concert with two works based on some of the most well known literature of all time: William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” The symphony orchestra will perform Howard Shore’s Symphonic Suite from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture.”

“In the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ overture, you can hear the story unfold vividly: the boys’ skirmish and sword fight, Friar Lawrence’s benevolent presence, and naturally, the love theme,” said Lehmann. “At the end, the harp accompanies Romeo and Juliet to a better place.”

Admission is $8/$5 suggested donation at the door; open seating. For more information, visit http://usm.maine.edu/music or call 207-780-5555.