NEWS RELEASE
Date: January 12, 2021 Contact: Lexi Locke
For Immediate Release Phone: 417.864.6683
Photos Available Upon Request Cell: 417.860.9690
Fax: 417.864.8967
lexi@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony goes virtual with its 51st Annual Young People’s Concert
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will release its 51st annual Young People’s Concert on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 via its livestream platform for all students in the state of Missouri. While typically serving over 3,000 fourth grade students from two live concerts, the Springfield Symphony hopes to reach and serve all grade level students and educators beyond the region of Southwest Missouri through virtual performance. The Young People’s Concert performance recording will be free and available to the public through registration on the SSO website.
“One of the Springfield Symphony programs I am most proud of is our annual Young People’s Concert (YPC),” said Music Director and Conductor Kyle Wiley Pickett. “We have been playing a program specifically designed for elementary school children in Springfield and the surrounding areas for more than 50 years! For many of these children, it is the first and only time they have had the chance to hear an orchestra play live. Each year, I try to program music that will be familiar, fun, entertaining, and exciting for children. It is always my hope that kids come away from our concert exhilarated by the experience, and my highest wish is that they are inspired to want to play an instrument.”
While the SSO typically provides these performances live, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how the orchestra can provide this educational experience. The free virtual performance provides flexibility to watch the YPC recording any time throughout this year, making it easier to fit around the schedule of students and educators. “This year, we face a profoundly different challenge in reaching our traditional audience of 4th graders,” said Pickett. “With schools unable to do field trips and many students learning from home, we had to come up with a new way to connect with students. This year, we have created a free virtual Young People’s Concert. While nothing can replace the live music experience, we have put together a virtual performance that teachers and students will be able to stream. I am sad that I won’t be able to see the thousands of kids we perform for in person this year, but I am happy that we can still provide them with a wonderful concert.”
This year, the 51st annual Young People’s Concert will include the musical program of Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals with narration provided by a 5th grader, describing the animals portrayed in the music. The Springfield Symphony’s 51st annual Young People’s Concert will be released on January 26, 2021. Registration takes place online at www.springfieldmosymphony.org/young-peoples-concerts. The Young People’s Concert is sponsored by the Schneider Family Foundation, US Bank, and 3M Foundation. The Young People’s Concerts are one of the many arts programs in Springfield associated with The Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child Initiative. For more information on the Springfield Symphony education and outreach programming, call the Symphony office at 417-864-6683.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
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