By Town Crier Staff Report

The California Youth Symphony, led by maestro Leo Eylar, opens its 50th anniversary season with two performances.

The first concert is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Sunday, at Flint Center on 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, and will be repeated 2:30 p.m., Nov. 18, at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 650 N. Delaware Ave.

A highlight of the program will be the performance of Adrian Tam, 17, the most recent winner of the California Youth Symphony’s Young Artist Competition in the piano category.

A student of renowned teacher Dr. Sharon Mann of Berkeley, Tam will play “Piano Concerto No. 2″ by Rachmaninov. Tam has won numerous awards and honors.

He most recently participated in the prestigious Piano Espania Summer Festival in Spain, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky of the Juilliard School and Julian Martin of both Juilliard and the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Also on the concert program is Mahler’s “Symphony No 5,” considered a challenging masterpiece to perform.

The orchestra consists of 100 young musicians, ages 12-18, from 40 schools between San Francisco and Morgan Hill.

Tickets, priced at $12 general and $6 students/seniors, are available at the door or from CYS musicians.

For tickets and more information, call 325-6666.