Next Saturday, April 2, marks the return engagement of the premier youth chamber orchestra in the Northwest, the Academy Chamber Orchestra directed by Alan Futterman, music director of the Bremerton Symphony and the Peninsula Ballet Orchestra.

“The ACO wowed Orcas audiences in 2010 with its musical excellence, passion and virtuosity and its superb young soloists,” said Artha Kass of Orcas Center. “The Orchestra members, ages 13 to 21 are some of the most gifted young musicians in the region and have won numerous awards and honors on their respective instruments.”

The Orchestra’s graduates routinely receive multiple acceptances from major schools and have gone on to attend the Curtis Institute, Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, The Cleveland Institute, and the Peabody Conservatory. They return to Orcas Center with a program called “Sacred Music Through the Centuries,” which includes well known works by Mozart, Stravinsky and others. The presentation is made possible with generous support from Bob Lundeen.

Tickets to the 7:30 pm show are $10 for adults, $5 for students. They can be purchased at www.orcascenter.org or from the Orcas Center box office on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information on 2011 Orcas Center season events, visit www.orcascenter.org.