MCPS Fifth Graders to Attend National Philharmonic Concerts at Strathmore

October 11, 2010

   The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda opens its doors to all fifth grade students from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on October 12, 13 and 14, 2010 for free student concerts.
   The Strathmore Student Concerts in the Music Center’s Concert Hall give children the opportunity to attend a performance by the National Philharmonic led by Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski. These interactive concerts feature music by Russian composers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Modest Mussorgsky. The interactive concerts are presented by Strathmore in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools.
   “The impact of these experiences is felt long after the excitement of the concert fades," said Monica Jeffries Hazangeles, acting president and chief executive officer of Strathmore. "Live performance inspires children to learn an instrument, to sing or to dance, to explore their creativity, and to attend more arts events with their families now and later, as adults. They help develop the artists and audiences of the future.”
   To accommodate the 10,000 MCPS students, six daytime performances are scheduled during a three-day period in the 1,976-seat Concert Hall. There will be two concerts each day, one at 10:35 a.m. and the other at 12:15 p.m. This is the third year that Strathmore has presented concerts for MCPS fifth graders.
   Since opening the Music Center in February 2005, Strathmore has welcomed all MCPS second graders for student concerts performed by the National Philharmonic. Strathmore and MCPS have demonstrated a commitment to providing world-class music education experiences to the county’s youngest residents.
   “I am thrilled that our fifth grade students can experience a stellar performance by the National Philharmonic at Strathmore,” said Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. “This invaluable partnership between Strathmore and MCPS ensures that 10,000 of our young students will have an unforgettable musical experience.”
The National Philharmonic’s 45-minute program features beloved classical music from the Romantic period including Tchaikovsky’s “March,” and “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker, an excerpt from the composer’s Symphony No. 4, and Mussorgsky’s “Tuileries” from Pictures at an Exhibition and “Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells” from Pictures at an Exhibition. The grand finale will feature Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” with spectacular cannon effects and students playing bells.
The lecture/demonstration format of the performance will follow the tradition of Leonard Bernstein’s famous Young Person’s Concerts, but be faster paced and supported by imagery on a large projection screen above the stage.
   “The musical examples will illustrate the various possible meanings of music, leading to the ultimate conclusion that music is simply about how it makes one feel when one listens,” said Maestro Gajewski.
The Strathmore Student Concerts with the National Philharmonic will be held on October 12, 13 and 14, at 10:35 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Music Center at Strathmore. The Music Center is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, in North Bethesda, MD, immediately adjacent to the Grosvenor-Strathmore station on Metro’s Red Line. For more information on Strathmore, visit www.strathmore.org or call (301) 581-5100.

   For additional information, contact:
   - Strathmore - Angela Olson, (301) 581-5194 or aolson@strathmore.org
   - National Philharmonic - Deborah Birnbaum, (301) 493-9283, ext. 118; deborah@nationalphilharmonic.org

   Strathmore is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to non profit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Strathmore is also supported in part by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

<<Back to browse