SEPTEMBER 2010
THE HARRISBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S PUBLICATION FOR MUSIC EDUATORS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
ANNOUNCING Young Person’s Concert
Participants: K-12 accompanied by a parent, grandparent, teacher or mentor Subscription: Masterworks (Sound Foundation Subscription) Cost: $27.00 per person (less than $4 / person/performance!) To become Sound Foundation subscribers, please contact the Education Department of the HSO at 717-545-5527 or aschwab@harrisburgsymphony.org
Friday, November 12, 2010 at 10:00 am and 11:30 am at the Forum in Harrisburg.
Hear the HSO under the direction of Maestro Stuart Malina playing two distinctly different works: Concierto de Aranjuez by 20th Century composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. Special guest artist, Sharon Isbin, one of the world’s finest classical guitarists, will play the Rodrigo for the students. Maestro Malina will share some secrets of the masterpiece by Franz Schubert, his Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, and the fabulous HSO will perform portions of this work. Sign up for the November 12th YPC by using the PINK CARD enclosed with this newsletter.
SPRING
The HSO is thrilled to offer extremely discounted Masterworks Subscriptions to students who attend with a parent, grandparent, teacher or mentor to help facilitate an appreciation for live classical music.
FALL
Developing an appreciation for classical music begins early by participating in “Sound Foundation.” Families have a great vantage point to experience our wonderful symphony and nurture the enjoyment and understanding of classical music.
schedule of FREE concerts for student groups for the 2010-11 season:
Friday, May 13, 2010 at 10:00 am and 11:30 am at the Forum in Harrisburg.
Maestro Malina and HSO Concertmaster, Odin Rathnam, take the stage with the HSO for music that will undoubtedly be by or related to the German composer, Johannes Brahms. The related Masterworks concert theme is Brahms, Brahms & Brahms! You may register now for the May 13th YPC by using the enclosed orange-colored CARD. Contact the HSO Education Department at aschwab@harrisburgsymphony.org or 717-545-5527 for additional registration materials.
New Music Director
for the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra Tara Simoncic has been selected as the new conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony’s Youth Orchestra. Her appointment places her in the dual role of Youth Orchestra music director/conductor as well as the Assistant Conductor for the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Simoncic (pronounce this See-mone-cheech) comes to Harrisburg from Brooklyn, New York, where she served as music director for the Norwalk Youth Symphony, Norwalk, CT. Ms. Simoncic received a Bachelor of Music (trumpet performance) at the New England Conservatory of Music and a Masters of Music in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University. She has held numerous conducting positions throughout the U.S. and has studied and performed internationally. Ms. Simoncic has several new plans in the works for the Youth Orchestra, starting with auditions and continuing throughout the season. (See related Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestras article).
Student
Rush NEW NAME and NEW VISION for the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestras
A subtle name change says it all for orchestral opportunities for middle and high school age students in our area. The Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestras (replacing the Harrisburg Youth Symphony Orchestra) continues it’s great tradition over 50 years of bringing great classical music by talented students to the local community. Part of the new vision is to allow student musicians access to the professional musicians in the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in a planned series of sectional coachings with orchestra members. “It’s a great way to link the professional orchestra with the student orchestra”, notes new Youth Symphony Music Director, Tara Simoncic. Students in grades 9 - 12, both returning musicians and new auditioners, may sign up to audition for the HSYO September 26 – October 5. Middle School age string musicians may audition for the Harrisburg Symphony Junior Youth String Orchestra. Students in grades 6 - 9 will have the opportunity to audition for the HSJYO, conducted by Mrs. Marie Weber, on October 9, 2010. To register for the auditions for either the HSYO or the HSJYO, you must go to HarrisburgSymphony.org and download the Registration Form and the Audition Guidelines. Click Youth Symphony link on the HSO website: www.HarrisburgSymphony.org or call the HSO office at 717-545-5527.
Tickets
still
$5.00! Are you a high school or college student who cannot always plan your weekend schedule in advance? If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. The HSO has a program of Student Rush Tickets just for you. Come to the Forum Box Office on any concert weekend one half hour prior to concert time (that’s 7:30 pm for Saturday evenings and 2:30 pm for Sunday afternoons) and for $5.00 we will offer you a ticket (contingent upon availability) for that concert. It’s less expensive than a movie or just about any other live entertainment!
Meeting Your Needs Educational Programming for Your School
As teachers and school administrators, you likely hear every day about budgetary constraints and how they may affect the arts programming in your schools. We at the HSO do not have all of the answers to solve the financial crises facing schools and families (and not surprisingly as a non-profit arts organization, we occasionally have a few challenges of our own), but we have some ways to help you enrich music programming for young people. We would love to be in dialogue with music teachers, curriculum advisors, and administrators to find ways that we may assist you. This year, the HSO was granted money from the Children’s Home Foundation of Harrisburg to do an intensive program within the Harrisburg School District’s strings program. Four HSO musicians, forming the Dali Quartet, visited the strings players at Harrisburg’s SciTech High, working with them on Fridays throughout the school year. The students enjoyed getting to know an outstanding group of professional musicians and having the opportunity to work intensively on their playing techniques. See the reprinted article.
As a part of this year’s M+T Bank Education Week, a woodwind quintet from the HSO visited Shaull Elementary School in the Cumberland Valley School District. Afterward, Shaull music teacher, Tracee Zygmunt informed us that she was having a problem with balance in her elementary school band. It seems that after the visit from the HSO woodwinds, all of the Shaull students wanted to select clarinets, flutes and oboes and as she put it, “I need a brass quintet to visit so that my band does not become lopsided!”. Sometimes there’s a down side to success. Carlisle Area School District Middle and High School Orchestra Director, Lynn Keefer, has started a new incentive program for her middle school students this year. Miss Keefer tells us, “In addition to receiving Student of the Marking Period (STOMP) awards, orchestra students are treated to a FREE HSO student ticket.” Miss Keefer notifies the students and the parents of the award and the upcoming concert date, and parents are given the opportunity to purchase an additional ticket at their own expense. (Note: the ticket prices are subsidized by a fund at the HSO’s Education Department). Miss Keefer suggests that teachers considering doing an incentive program look into club funds, the district budget for music programming, or PTO project funds as possible resources. Miss Keefer meets the students and parents at the Forum for Sunday afternoon 3:00 performances. “Students and parents have really enjoyed the performances this year, and I hope that this inspires more families to take part in experiencing live music. This program truly helps to boost student motivation and inspire students to strive for excellence.”
The Little Dragon at Mechanicsburg Middle School Sunday, April 10, 2011
It’s been a few years since the Harrisburg Symphony has offered a concert for families. This spring The Little Dragon, a timeless tale of caring, courage, and the power of imagination will fire up the Harrisburg area with the Harrisburg Symphony performing in the lovely state of the art Mechanicsburg Area Middle School auditorium. Tickets for The Little Dragon are available at the HSO Box office, 717-545-5527 or on-line at www.harrisburgsymphony.org.
WELCOME TO THE CONCERT
It goes without saying that the entire Harrisburg area community is cordially invited to attend and enjoy any and all of the Harrisburg Symphony’s concerts. For some of the younger members of our audience, knowing just how to approach a concert in the 1837 seat Forum auditiorium may be a bit of a mystery. The HSO’s new Welcome to the Concert program is designed to help demystify the Masterworks concert program for young concertgoers. The premise behind Welcome to the Concert is simple: if you know a little bit about the music and the musicians performing, you will be inclined to gain more enjoyment and meaning from the program. The HSO’s Education Committee is currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on activities, hands-on experiences, and even some concert-related snacks(!) for each of the seven Masterworks concerts in the 2010-11 season. If you’d like to know more about the Welcome to the Concert program, please call the HSO office or email aschwab@harrisburgsymphony.org
Masterworks
Pull Out All The Stops Sharon Isbin Plays Rodrigo
Oct 2-3 Nov 13-14
Capital BlueCross Pops
Mancini & Moonlight
Oct 30-31
Simply Swingin’
Jan 29-30
Catch a Rising Star
Jan 15-16
Dave Bennett Returns
La Bohème in Concert
Feb 26-27
Franc D’Ambrosio’s Broadway
Symphonic Revelations
Mar 26-27
Mahler’s Majestic Landscapes
Apr 16-17
Brahms Brahms & Brahms!
May 14-15
Picture Yourself in Paris...at Moulin Rouge
HarrisburgSymphony.org Box Office: 717.545.5527
Mar 12-13 Apr 30/May 1
Special Events Nov 7
Holiday Spectacular
Dec 12
Stuart & Friends
Mar 29
The Little Dragon Family Concert
Apr 10