Orchestral compositions by two Austin high school students will be among those performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra at its first-ever Texas Young Composers Concert on Wednesday, April 20, at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Works composed by Bowie High School’s Sam Melnick, and Brennan Anderson, a senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), are among 12 new orchestral compositions chosen from entries submitted to the Austin Symphony’s first Young Composers Competition held this past Fall.

Sam, a senior at Bowie, has been under the direction of orchestra teachers Bill Haehnel, Bruce Dinkins, and the late Diane Gorzycki throughout his middle and high school years. He enjoys composing for full orchestra, concert band, string orchestra, and piano. His latest compositions are titled Birth, Rescue (A Fairy Tale in Four Chapters) — and his featured work at the concert, The Last Lullaby. He is currently working on a trumpet concerto and a collection of suites based on Shakespeare’s play, King Lear.

Brennan taught himself to play piano at age 12, and started composing music at age 13. For a brief period he studied composition under his mentor, Peter Stopschinski. Brennan now composes music for games and films with composer Kyle Robertson. His work, Surrounded, will be performed at the Young Composer Concert.

Other works to be premiered were composed by high school students from throughout the state. More information about the Texas Young Composers Competition and the Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Education programs is available at http://www.austinsymphony.org/community

Tickets for the Texas Young Composers Concert are available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 476-6064, or the Long Center Box Office, 474-LONG.