October 7, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Kinderkonzerts, the popular ensemble-based series which provide an interactive first Oregon Symphony experience for children in kindergarten through second grade, begins its annual cycle of four concerts on Nov. 7, 8 and 9 at three Portland-area elementary schools. The 30-minute concerts, at Witch Hazel Elementary, Peninsula Elementary and Lent Elementary, feature selected members of the Oregon Symphony who will introduce kids to the different instrument families in a series of four concerts, each focusing on a specific section of the orchestra. The first set of 30-minute concerts, “Opposites,” explores contrasts in the sizes and sounds of the string section, as well as in musical concepts such as pitch, dynamics and tempo. The Kinderkonzerts series is sponsored by Boeing and the Stimson-Miller Foundation, with further support from the Bank of America Foundation, Tektronix, the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation, the U.S. Trust Foundation, the U.S. Bank Foundation and the Juan Young Trust.
“Exposure to arts programs at a young age is an essential component of early childhood education,” says Michael Kosmala, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement. “By introducing kids to these programs early, we can offer them an experience that has a lasting influence.” The Kinderkonzerts series is tailored to provide young students with a first-time Symphony music experience in an age-appropriate format. Bringing the Symphony musicians and instruments to the students and performing on site with small ensembles of instrument families rather than the full orchestra provides a more intimate, less overwhelming learning experience. “A cycle of four concerts allows us to have multiple contacts with the students; we introduce musical concepts at one concert that can be reiterated throughout the cycle and the year in the students’ regular classroom lessons,” Kosmala explains.
The schools chosen for the Kinderkonzerts series were selected to serve diverse geographical and economic populations. In addition, says Kosmala, these particular schools are supportive of the program and are committed to maintaining an arts curriculum in their regular school classes. “They care deeply about building a relationship with the Symphony,” he continues. “Students at these locations not only attend the Kinderkonzerts series in their schools, but also come to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for Young People’s Concerts when they get older.”
“Opposites” will feature Symphony violinists Inés Voglar and Greg Ewer, Principal Viola Joël Belgique, cellist Adam Esbensen and contrabassist Paul DeNola, along with narrator Amy Haroldson, in a program featuring musical excerpts from Bach, Saint-Saëns, Rossini and Bartók, and traditional children’s songs including “Are You Sleeping, Brother John?” and “The Hokey Pokey.”
Last year the Kinderkonzerts series reached over 7,500 students from 49 different schools in four counties around the Portland metro area. A free ticket initiative for children on the federal school lunch program, implemented two years ago, allowed 54 percent of the students who attended Kinderkonzerts last season to do so at no charge; chaperones are also admitted free. The free ticket program reflects the Education and Community Engagement department’s basic philosophy: to remove the perceptual barriers that exist regarding classical music and the Symphony by offering a specially-designed program with built-in support materials so that regular classroom teachers and parents can use these concepts and connections in their own classrooms and at home. “Both teachers and parents really appreciate the hands-on style of our programs and the connections we make to literary arts and other arts,” says Kosmala.
“Opposites” will be performed on Monday, Nov. 7, at 9 and 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Witch Hazel Elementary in Hillsboro. The concert will repeat at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Peninsula Elementary in north Portland, and will be performed at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Lent Elementary in southeast Portland. Tickets are $2/per student and are free to students in the federal free and reduced lunch programs. All children are welcome to attend these concerts, and they are open to anybody in grades K-2. Daycare programs and homeschoolers are encouraged to contact the department of Education and Community Engagement. For more information about Kinderkonzerts, contact the Symphony’s department of Education and Community Engagement at 503-228-4294, by email at educate@orsymphony.org, or visit the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
