DEAR EDITOR:

Last evening my wife and I attended the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra concert, Fantastique. It was played at the Stambaugh Auditorium, and it was magnificent! If you weren’t there, you missed an event that was entertaining and warmed a very cold winter’s night.

It was the welcoming concert for our symphony’s new music director, Erik Ochsner. He is vibrant, warm and very dynamic. You can sense how much he loves working with music, how much he appreciates our Mahoning Valley area and the terrific musicians that make up our very own YSO.

Look at our wonderful area and all that it has to offer. Understand how blessed we are! Locally, we have some of the best pizza establishments in our entire country. If you travel outside our area and order pizza, you already know this. We are fortunate to have many fine Italian restaurants. Additionally, we have many marvelous eateries that feature American and other ethnic recipes. But enough about food.

In the Valley, we can experience numerous other life opportunities that are usually found only in large cities or metropolitan areas. I’m thinking of the Butler Institute of American Art, Mill Creek Park, our world-class venues (Stambaugh, DeYor, Covelli, Wean Park and the Amphitheater) and so many more. And don’t forget YSU, where there’s always something going on. This great college and community resource can provide us with worthwhile adventures outside of our own small circles.

Yes, there are many opportunities to experience culture and growth right here in our own backyard. And we can drive home in 15 or 20 minutes without having to fight our way through heavy traffic.

Originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, the Symphony concert was moved to Saturday evening due to the forecasted winter storm. With the weather forecast and the last-minute change of the day and time, concert attendance was light. Too bad.

Your next opportunity to experience the greatness of our symphony orchestra will be Friday, March 13. This concert, “Sinatra and Beyond,” will feature vocalist Tony Desare. I’m betting that, just like last evening, it will be awesome! Most of us, who have been around at least since the ’80s, know and remember Frank Sinatra and his music, movies and life. And if you’re too young “to Sinatra,” come out anyway and watch us oldies revel in our musical memories of “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” You just might get hooked on the symphony or Sinatra too. At the very least, it may take your mind to a new and exciting place for a couple of hours.

TOM BEASLEY

Hubba