"Celebrate the Music is an exhilarating introduction to orchestral music for
children and adults alike. Youth see the inner workings of how the string,
woodwind, brass and percussion sections perform in concert. They witness a
rehearsal, recognize the timbre of each instrument, hear the familiar surge
of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5," even recreate human feelings on the bass,
violin and piano."
"After walking through the midst of a live ensemble,
children are encouraged to touch, and even play, the trumpet, trombone,
French horn, snare drum and violin. What child wouldn't be captivated?"
"Bringing this creative program to students across America, some of whom may
never have heard a harmonic arrangement, is sure to have a magnificent
impact. Kids are clearly charmed by the unique nature of Celebrate the
Music."
-- Cassandra Day
Middletown Press
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PRESS RELEASE |
November 24, 2004
For Immediate Release
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For More Information or Interviews:
Contact Steve Van Ness,
Producer
Phone: 860-669-1300
Email: steve@impactartsevents.com
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Comcast
Provides Seed Funding for "Celebrate the Music"
with The Hartt School Community Division and the Connecticut Youth
Symphony |
Clinton, CT - A unique sponsorship agreement between Impact Arts Events Group (IAEG) and Comcast will create Celebrate the Music, a new orchestral music education performance project, co-produced by The Hartt School Community Division of the University of Hartford and IAEG.
Celebrate the Music is a 45-minute performance that will teach children the instruments and sections of the orchestra, bring new understanding and excitement to orchestrated music, and motivate some students to start playing an instrument. The goals of Celebrate the Music are to produce the performance as a touring in-school music education performance and as a summer tourist/family entertainment attraction (at fairs and festivals), while creating jobs for young professional musicians.
The Connecticut Youth Symphony, sponsored by The Hartt School Community Division, will participate in the development of the project and will perform the inaugural performance at First Night Hartford 2005 presented by ADVO on New Year's Eve. In addition to an orchestra conductor, the performance will include a high-energy, dramatic, musical theater character that will serve as emcee and interact with the audience.
The Celebrate the Music performance has five parts: Introduction to the Orchestra, "Feeling" the Music, Student Video Documentary, "Up Close with the Orchestra," and The Instrument Petting Zoo.
Celebrate the Music is the brain child of Stephen Van Ness, President of Impact Arts Events Group, an event design and management company based in Clinton, CT. The inspiration for Celebrate the Music came, over a number of years, through work on music education projects. "I realized that our children have a tremendous amount of orchestrated music around them, mostly through John Williams' scores and Disney® films, and yet most kids today don't know the instruments of the orchestra," says Van Ness, whose four children are all very involved with music and the arts. "This program is a way to bring orchestral music right to kids, in a way that will resonate with them," he says.
"Comcast is proud to sponsor this important project designed to get children interested in music," said Tony Speller, Area Vice President of Comcast Connecticut. "For many children Celebrate the Music will be their first exposure to orchestral music and hopefully lead some of them to study music in their schools or on their own. It's a fact that children who study music do better in all of their classes."
Steve Van Ness will serve as the creative director and executive producer of the project and will co-produce the musical performance with the staff of the Connecticut Youth Symphony and a team of professionals in the entertainment and music education field. "We're putting together a collaborative effort with bright, talented people. We appreciate and are very excited about the support of Comcast in making this possible," he says.
The Hartt School Community Division of the University of Hartford is a community arts school providing instruction in music, dance and theatre to over 2,700 students from 2 to 80 throughout Central Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
The Community Division serves talented pre-college students through its intensive programs and the general population with lessons, classes and ensembles.
The Connecticut Youth Symphony is Hartford's youth orchestra. It is a program of the Hartt School Community Division of the University of Hartford. Led by Dr. Daniel D'Addio, it includes 75 of the finest high school musicians in our region and presents at least three full-length concerts each year.
For more information on "Celebrate the Music"
please call Steve Van Ness at Impact Arts Events Group at 860-669-1300.
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