PORTSMOUTH – The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra will perform their spring concert on Sunday, June 5 at 3 p.m. at Portsmouth Music Hall. A pre-concert talk with Music Director John Page will be offered at 1:45 p.m.

The colorful and vibrant final concert of the PSO’s 2021-2022 season features Brahm’s Academic Festival Overture and Dvorak’s bright and luminous New World Symphony.

The original Academic Festival Overture was a serious nod to academia on the occasion of an honorary doctorate awarded to Brahms by the University of Breslau. Instead, Brahms, who hated the pump, indulged his playful sense of humor and wrote a medley of student drinking songs.

Dvorak’s symphony is the culmination of his highly successful stay in America and remains one of the most popular symphonies. It abounds with melodies inspired by Native American folk music and African American spirituals and musically embodies the multinational spirit of the New World.

The concert program on June 5 also includes the winners of the 2020 and 2022 Young Artists Competition. This year’s winner, Sean Jang will perform the first movement of the Violin Concerto in D minor op. Maxine Park, 45 and 2020 winner, will perform the first movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor.

The annual PSO Young Artist Competition is open to high school students studying any instrument. To be considered, each contestant submitted a video of themselves performing a single movement of a major work or an 8-12 minute equivalent with accompaniment. This year’s finalists Akira McDowell, flute; Elsie Munsterteiger, flute; Hannah Rubin, piano; Jenny Qu, viola; Jennifer Jang, violin; and Sean Jang, violin, performed their pieces live for the judges, which included PSO music director John Page, at Riverwoods in late April.

Tickets for the June 5 concert cost between $35 and $25 adults; $30 seniors; and $20 student (through college) and can be purchased online at the Music Hall website.