Symphony, Northern Virginia Schools Prepare for Midori’s Educational Partnerships
Posted Mar 13, 2012 | Press Releases,
2012 is already shaping up to be a momentous year for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra/Symphonica Nova, as the organization prepares to welcome the violinist Midori, who most recently performed with the ASO in 2006. Midori will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor with the ASO and Maestro Kim Allen Kluge on March 31st and April 1st, and she will also spend the week of March 26th in Alexandria City Public Schools and Arlington Public Schools in Northern Virginia as part of her Orchestra Residencies Program. A native of Japan, this former child prodigy has for years been regarded as one of the finest violinists of her generation. She has been consistently honored for her significant contributions to music education, notably by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who named her a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2007, and most recently by the World Economic Forum, which gave her their coveted Crystal Award in 2012.
The ASO/Symphonica Nova is one of only two orchestras selected by Midori’s Orchestra Residencies Program (ORP) for a residency in the 2011-2012 season. This program brings the violinist to the community in support of the efforts of local youth orchestras, to underscore the importance of music in their communities and to encourage collegiality between the musicians in local adult and youth orchestras. Midori works individually with the orchestras, their members, and music education programs through collaborative performances, master classes, and workshops. The Alexandria Symphony is pleased to be a part of Midori’s Orchestra Residencies Program, and to be partners with the following schools and their music programs for this highly important education initiative:
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra/Symphonica Nova and the Midori Orchestra Residencies Program: Local Educational Partners, March 26-April 1
- Minnie Howard School, Alexandria City Public Schools
- T.C. Williams High School, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Wakefield High School, Arlington Public Schools
- Washington-Lee High School, Arlington Public Schools
- Yorktown High School, Arlington Public Schools
The highlight of the residency will be Midori’s work with the youth orchestras, and the week will conclude first with a free concert by the youth orchestras. She will be featured in collaboration with several student soloists in a performance of J.S. Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 (Emma West and Sarah Paez, violins; Tzu-Ching Tai, conductor), and Vivaldi’s Concerto for 4 Violins in B Minor, Op.3 #10 (Tom Hartman, conductor).Then on Saturday, March 31st and Sunday, April 1st, Midori will join the Alexandria Symphony and Maestro Kim Allen Kluge in a program that includes the impassioned Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. The ASO will also be performing the world premiere of a new composition by music director Kim Allen Kluge to remember the victims and survivors of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, entitled 芽吹きMEIBUKI – Regeneration. The Arlington and Alexandria students who participated in the week-long residency with Midori will have the opportunity to join the ASO onstage which will also feature the Arlington Children’s Chorus led by artistic director Kevin Carr.
Midori with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra/Symphonica Nova
Saturday, March 31, 2012, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 1, 2012, 3 p.m.
Kim Allen Kluge, conductor
Midori, violin
Simeon Simeonov, violin
Orchestra Residencies Program Participants from Arlington and Alexandria
Arlington Children’s Chorus
Kevin Carr, Artistic Director
STRAVINSKY: Firebird Suite
KLUGE: 芽吹き MEIBUKI – Regeneration: In memory of the victims and for the survivors of the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. For Midori. WORLD PREMIERE.
Simeon Simeonov, violin
Orchestra Residencies Program Participants
Arlington Children’s Chorus
MENDELSSOHN: Concerto for Violin in E Minor
Midori, violin
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA
Tickets: start at $40 adults & seniors, $10 students and $5 for youth (18 & under). Join Colleen Fay for a free preconcert chat one hour prior to each performance in the Concert Hall. Free parking. alexsym.org or 703-548-0885.
About Midori’s Orchestra Residencies Program
The Orchestra Residencies Program (ORP) was initiated by Midori in 2004 as a way of connecting with and supporting American youth orchestras. ORP aims to provide collaborative music-making opportunities that inspire and educate the next generation of classical musicians. The program also strives to increase the community profile of youth orchestras by strengthening ties with the local professional orchestras. The program is especially important to Midori, and each is substantially subsidized by Midori herself.
The ORP residency lasts five to seven days. Over the course of that time, Midori participates in a wide variety of different educational projects and community engagement activities with the students of the local youth orchestra. In the past, those activities have included Q & A sessions, master classes, short performances, arts advocacy trips, and more. For more information, visit www.GoToMidori.com/orp.
