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We Know How the Orchestra Grew. Do You?

22 VSO Young People’s Concerts Aim To Reach 23,000 Students

Hampton Roads, VA…What happens if the curtain opens for a concert and the orchestra chairs are empty? No musicians? No music. Approximately 23,000 third, fourth and fifth graders will find out as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents its spring series of Young People’s Educational Concerts between February 10 and April 29, 2009. This year Associate Conductor Matthew Kraemer explains “How the Orchestra Grew.”

“Where are the musicians?” asks puzzled conductor Matthew Kraemer as the concert begins. “Oh, they’re on break,” is the reply.  “They’ll be back in an hour for the concert.  “But the concert starts now,” says Kraemer. Go find them!”

With this introduction, the VSO Young People’s Concert is off and running as a fun music education lesson to show elementary school students from schools all across Hampton Roads how the orchestra grew from a few chamber players performing for royalty or clergy in Baroque times to today’s large symphony orchestras performing for general audiences in concert halls. They also learn how the music changed from Handel’s Entrance of the Queen of Sheba to John Williams’ Star Wars.

Musicians amble in, a few violins from around the water cooler, a couple of oboes, then flutes, trumpets and timpani from a touch football game, trombones, tuba and percussion from a nearby Taco Bell. When the harp and piano are added, the orchestra is ready for 20th century contemporary music.

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra Young People’s concerts are carefully correlated to the state mandated Standards of Learning (SOLs). The entertaining concerts trace the development of the orchestra from a small group of strings to today’s full modern ensemble illustrated with music by Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, and Stravinsky concluding with John Williams’ Star Wars. During the journey, while enjoying the music, the students discover how music correlates to history and geography. In early January, a complete online Study Guide was made available for teachers to download in order to prepare their students for the concert experience.

This year, approximately 22 concerts will be performed for public school students from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Chesapeake, Southampton, Franklin and Williamsburg. Independent school students and home schooled children also have the opportunity to attend the concerts. Performed in both concert halls, convention centers and high schools, the concerts attract masses of students from 4,000 at Chrysler Hall to 6,000 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center to 3,400 at the Ferguson Center to I,000 or more at other locations such as high schools and independent schools. To accommodate the large numbers, the orchestra performs two 50 minute concerts back to back (Dates and times schedule attached.)

“These concerts are so important for our young people; and with limited school budgets for the arts these concerts have become an even more valuable tool for our schools. They represent one of the Symphony’s most valuable educational programs,” said Marsha Staples, director of education and community engagement.

“Because we are able to reach so many students,” said Staples, “logistics become part of the concerts almost as much as the music, especially when you trying to get 4,000 students in and out of Chrysler Hall with all the construction around. When you get to Virginia Beach, the numbers triple as we move 6,000 students in and out of the Convention Center. We couldn’t do it without our Education Coordinator, Carrie Green and all of our wonderful volunteers.

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2009 Young People’s Concerts

February

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The Virginia Symphony Orchestra with a complement of 79 professional musicians under the direction of Grammy-nominated Music Director JoAnn Falletta performs 140 concerts annually, reaching 200,000 concert goers every season in venues throughout the region. Our education and outreach programs reach 53,000 students and adult learners every year. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is the cultural cornerstone of the performing arts in Hampton Roads.