(Palm Beach, April 18, 2023 ) – A Side-by-Side Concert will bring together world-class professional musicians from The Symphonia and student musicians from Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County’s highest-level orchestra, the Philharmonic on April 30, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. This free-to-the-public concert will take place at the Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Side-by-Side concerts that bring professional musicians in direct contact with student musicians is a well-established practice in the world of music. For student musicians in youth orchestras, it is a hands-on opportunity to grow artistically. For professional musicians in symphonic orchestras, it is a way of helping to prepare the next generation of classical musicians and music appreciators.
According to Michael Fraley, executive director of Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County (YOPBC), “Side-by-Side concerts give student musicians the chance to learn from example. For a young musician eager to improve, getting the chance to play with someone at the peak of his/her professional career is invaluable.”
Dr. Kyle Prescott, conductor of YOPBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra, is excited at the prospect of his student musicians having direct contact with professional musicians. “For a student musician just starting out, to sit next to a master musician and hear that rich mature sound quality, to observe somebody who has complete control of his/her instrument cannot be matched. And for the professionals, the gains are indisputable – there is nothing quite as rewarding as seeing your younger self in the student you are nurturing.”
“Side-by-Side concerts inspire students and professional musicians alike,” says Alastair Willis, The Symphonia’s principal conductor and artistic advisor. “I recall my own experience as a 13-year-old music student playing trumpet side-by-side with my teacher and remember how life-changing the experience was for me. Years later, when I was a conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony’s youth orchestra, I got to appreciate that the side-by-side experience is just as rewarding for the professional musicians who in this setting get to give back. The glorious sound of the two groups playing in tandem is simply inspirational.”
Spearheaded by The Symphonia’s executive director Annabel Russell, and Maestro Willis, the Side-by-Side Concert is an equal partnership between the two groups. “This project is being designed to be more than just a concert,” says Russell. “It is intended to be the beginning of an ongoing and enriching collaboration that will build positive and creative relationships between students and professionals. It is also a wonderful way of reaching out to the public through the arts.”
The concert itself will engage approximately 40 Symphonia musicians paired with Philharmonic student musicians. Conducting will be shared between Maestro Willis and Maestro Prescott. “Our objective is to make this concert an annual event,” says Willis, “I feel that community interest will be strong – especially from parents of orchestra members, and The Symphonia’s regular subscribers.”
About The SYMPHONIA
The mission of The Symphonia is to inspire, educate and engage the lives of our diverse South Florida community through extraordinary musical experiences. Founded in 2004 and recognized as the region’s premier chamber orchestra, The Symphonia’s annual concert series features a repertoire blending classic and contemporary works, showcasing compositions from diverse composers that can best be brought to life by a chamber-size ensemble.
The Symphonia takes great pride in its longstanding community partnerships, including its ‘Building a String Orchestra and Self-Esteem’ children’s program at the Boys & Girls Club in Delray Beach, and with the City of Boca Raton. Additional outreach programs include ‘Meet the Orchestra’ for kids 12 and under, and ‘Box Lunch It,’ a program that allows adult patrons to meet and learn from The Symphonia’s featured soloists and conductors in an intimate, casual environment. This past year, The Symphonia also launched a program to provide complimentary tickets to service organizations such as Boca Helping Hands, Lighthouse for the Blind, Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, and Schwedelson Special Need Department of the Jewish Community Center.
For more information, visit thesymphonia.org; follow on Instagram @TheSymphonia and on Facebook @SymphoniaBoca.