RPO’s Around the Town Concerts: May 1-3

For Immediate Release:  April 22, 2013
Media Contacts:   Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com, @PR4Arts
RPO Info:  rpo.org, facebook.com/SuperRPO, twitter.com/SuperRPO, rpo-land.blogspot.com

Rochester, NY – Each season, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) provides a series of free Around the Town outreach concerts in various community venues. This year, the trio of concerts on May 1, 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. will each highlight a different area student string ensemble as well as feature the RPO string sections in particular. Two talented high school violinists, Helen Wong and Lizzie Stewart, will be featured on all three concerts, which will be conducted by Jerry Hou.  All three Around the Town concerts are free with no tickets required. 

The repertoire for each program includes Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachmusik and his Overture to Le nozze di Figaro, Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra (featuring Lizzie Stewart), Bach’s Air on the G String from Suite no. 3, Leroy Anderson’s Jazz pizzicato, Paganini’s Concerto No. 2 in B minor for Violin (featuring Helen Wong), Copland’s “Hoe Down” from Rodeo and J. Strauss, Jr.’s Overture to Die Fledermaus.  Individual concerts also feature the following:

Around the Town #1:  Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at East High School (1801 Main Street, Rochester 14609). Students from RocMusic will perform Starlight/Twinkle Twinkle, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, and Fiddle on Fire.
RocMusic, a partnership of the Hochstein School of Music & Dance, Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester), Eastman Community Music School, Rochester City School District, the City of Rochester, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, provides music instruction to city children. RocMusic is a community-based, tuition-free, music instruction program designed to positively impact the lives of economically-disadvantaged youth. The program teaches general music literacy and appreciation to children ages five through eight and string instruction for children ages 9 to 18, three days a week.

Around the Town #2:  Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of Love Faith Center (700 Exchange Street, Rochester 14608). Students from Strings for Success from School 19 will perform Allegro (Suzuki/Schwartz), Old Joe Clark/Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Hunter’s Chorus, and Twinkle, Twinkle.
Strings for Success is a community-school partnership that enables students at Charles T. Lunsford School 19 in the Rochester City School District to study the violin. In the Strings for Success program, all interested students in grades 3-8 are invited to join the program, regardless of ability, academic performance, or behavior in the classroom. A modified Suzuki Violin Method is taught in individual and group lessons; each student receives 2-3 lessons per week. Strings for Success promotes social change through the vehicle of music, provides community building experiences, and creates opportunities and removes barriers that prevent children from participating in the arts.

Around the Town #3:  Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church (43 Gebhardt Rd, Penfield, 14526)  Students in Hochstein Suzuki Strings will perform Fiocco’s Allegro, Webster’s Scherzo, and Dvorak’s Humoresque.  
Advanced Suzuki String students from the Hochstein School of Music & Dance perform throughout the greater Rochester area in a variety of public performances. The program, for ages three and older, includes instrumental study of violin, viola and cello with teachers who have been specially trained in the Suzuki Method.  For more information, visit hochstein.org.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents up to 150 concerts a year, serving nearly 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Notable former music directors include Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman; Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 19-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches 12,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.
Media please note:  high-resolution photographs are available (with more to be added) at https://docs.google.com/folder and interviews and photo/footage opportunities can be arranged. Bios available on request.