43
Getting children in tune with symphony
Schools are being asked to distribute information to spark interest among youths.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Between visits to Santa and shopping trips, some local music lovers are hoping parents and children will squeeze in a visit to the symphony this holiday season.
The Pittsburgh Symphony/New Castle Ticket Sales Committee is sponsoring its first “Take Your Child to the Symphony Night,” the latest in a series of efforts to interest local youths in the symphony.
The event is set for 8 p.m. Dec. 11 when the Pittsburgh Symphony presents the Holiday Pops at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 110 Lincoln Ave. It will feature carols and holiday music as well as surprise visits from Santa and special performances. Lawrence Loh is the conductor.
The concert is the first of three scheduled for the 2009-10 season here. “Bravo Broadway” is set for Jan. 8, featuring hit music from “My Fair Lady,” “Phantom of the Opera” and other Broadway musicals. Melissa Errico and Aaron Lazar are vocalists, and Lawrence Loh will conduct. And on March 8, the symphony will present “Tour De Force,” featuring Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. Johnathan Bliss will play the piano, and Gianandrea Noseda will conduct.
Judy Bruce, a member of the committee, said schools are being asked to distribute information about the Holiday Pops performance to spark interest among youths, their parents and grandparents. Scouting groups also will be asked to promote the event. To encourage participation, group rates are being offered at $10 for one student and $24 for three concerts. For adults, the rate is $17 for one and $33 for three concerts.
Tickets can be purchased using information on fliers distributed at the schools or by calling the New Castle Chamber of Commerce at (724) 654-5593. Callers should mention the name of the school the student attends for the group-rate price. Premium seating also is available.
Bruce, who taught piano for 30 years and is now retired and a full-time composer, said the effort is part of the committee’s ongoing effort to interest youths in the symphony. She lamented that none of the Lawrence County schools have an orchestra program any longer. The nearest such programs are in Youngstown and Pittsburgh. She said one of the hopes of this program is to spark interest in forming a youth orchestra.
The Pittsburgh Symphony has had performances in New Castle for approximately 10 years, Bruce said. Other efforts of the committee over the past several years have included an ongoing program in which all the area’s fourth- graders attend a special educational concert at the Cathedral and providing 20 free tickets to area high schools each year for their students who provide choral or musical performances before the symphony performances.
Members of the committee, in addition to Bruce, are: Joe Cicero, president; Cathy Carna; Cynthia Hall, Michele Perelman, Jim Kuselman Georgia Berner and Mimi Davis.
More information is available at www.Pittsburghsymphony.org.