January 17, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders from the Portland metro area are invited to learn about the concept of texture in music, as the Oregon Symphony, led by Portland Youth Philharmonic Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, presents the second Youth Concert of the season, “The Thick and Thin of It,” which features music of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky and others on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 and 11 a.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
What do you think of when you hear the word texture? Fabric? Feel the different textures of music with your ears as the orchestra, under Chen’s direction, perform the second movement from Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” the third movement from Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring 2002 Wiscarson Competition winner Jeong-Bo Shim, the last movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in G minor, and the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, as well as other works. In addition, the concert will feature the world premiere of Western Oregon State University Professor Kevin Walczyk’s “SabAdzida,” a piece written for orchestra, marimba ensemble, and audience. The marimba ensemble, Marimba Fever, is led by the Symphony’s 2002 Music Educator of the Year award winner Scot Wavra who teaches fifth grade at Willamette Primary School in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District.
The Marimba Fever ensemble was formed in 1998 when Wavra was inspired by a performance by a group of Bend, Ore., fifth-graders using marimbas (large xylophones with full-length resonators below each bar). “It brought new insights on the amazing ability of children,” Wavra said. He went on to start a marimba program at Willamette Primary after building three soprano and two tenor marimbas, representing approximately 400 hours of work. Over the last four years, Wavra has built 10 more instruments, and more than 150 students and 15 teachers have learned to play and have performed for audiences.
This concert also includes links to the following curriculum subjects to further assist teachers: Visual & Performing Arts, English/Language Arts and Social Sciences.
Oregon Symphony Youth Concerts are designed for elementary and middle school students throughout the state of Oregon and are attended by over 20,000 students each year. The Oregon Symphony presented its first “Music for Youth” Concerts in 1962 to junior and senior high school students in the Portland Public Schools. Youth Concerts are age-specific and support common curricular goals of the Oregon Content Standards in multiple subject areas. Oregon Symphony Education and Community Programs work with area teachers, administrators and parents to develop concerts that provide students with quality experiences in the arts and that are relevant to their current learning skills and knowledge.
Tickets are $3/per student; the concert is free for students in the free-or reduced-lunch programs. All schools/home school groups receive a free teacher’s guide/CD in addition to free docent visits to help prepare kids for the concert experience. For more information call 503-228-4294 or visit the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.