YAP 50th Gala Reunion

When I was in high school, I was a member of the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic, a youth orchestra founded by Salvatore Princiotti. Mr. Princiotti, or Maestro, or Mr. P, has been running SYAP for 50 years, and 50 generations of students have been under the direction of only one conductor for the entire duration of our time with this group. And so hopefully you can imagine that celebrating the 50th year of this organization is one extraordinary event. I bought my tickets home for this show months in advance, and could hardly contain my excitement! I had not been home in a year and a half, so not only was I excited to visit friends and family, but I was so excited to attend the reunion concert to honor my conductor, Mr. Princiotti.

Sal is now 75 years old, looks like he's 60, and has the heart and soul of the 25 year old young man that founded SYAP. Over 100 alumni returned to Stamford to perform on stage under his direction, and even more us attended the concert. I was not able to perform with the group, but I was far from disappointed to be able to sit in the audience and hear them perform. The concert was a wonderful tribute to Sal, and it was a wonderful chance to catch up with the other Yappers of my class! I had a wonderful time, I'm looking forward to the next reunion concert :o) Stay strong Mr. Princiotti!