The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) Brass Quintet is hitting the road this June with New Orleans Summer Swing, a free, family concert designed for kids ages 3 to 9. This “Big Easy” concert program includes a Second Line march and an interactive reading of the children’s book Trombone Shorty by performer and artist Issac Bloodworth.

The 45-minute jazz jam will include such classics as “The Saints Go Marching In,” “Tin Roof Blues,” and “That’s a Plenty,” and will feature NHSO Trumpeters Ken Tedeschi and Mike Flynn, Hornist Kyle Hoyt, Trombonist Scott Cranston, and Tubist Alex Friedman.

The NHSO will present New Orleans Summer Swing at local, free venues across Southern Connecticut:

• Tuesday, June 18 at 3pm, New Haven Green: Presented in partnership with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. No registration required. This program will be presented rain or shine under a tent. Learn more at ArtIdea.org.
• Saturday, June 22 at 10am, Plumb Library in Shelton: Register online at org/events or call (203) 924-1580 ext. 5108.
• Saturday, June 22 at 3pm, Russell Library in Middletown: Register and learn more at RussellLibrary.Libcal.com.
• Sunday, June 23 at 3pm, at Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning School (New Haven, CT): This will be an adapted “sensory-friendly” performance. (More information below.) No registration required.
• Tuesday, June 25 at 5pm, Ansonia Library: Register and learn more at AnsoniaLibrary.org.

The June 23 performance at Reggie Mayo School in New Haven will be adapted for audience members with sensory processing disorders and Autism. Audience members will be able to take advantage of the specially designed space within the school, use gross motor equipment to self-regulate, make use of complimentary ear protectors and fidgets, and take breaks as needed. The lighting will be dimmed, and the musicians will play at a reduced volume. For questions about accommodations offered at the sensory-friendly performance, please email Engagement@NewHavenSymphony.org.

“New Orleans’s rich jazz history and live music scene today has played an incredibly important role in American music,” says Caitlin Daly-Gonzales, NHSO’s Education Director. She continued, “With this concert program we will share that tradition and spirit with our youngest audience members this summer! Special guest Isaac Bloodworth will perform an engaging and interactive reading of the children’s book “Trombone Shorty” and the whole family can participate in a Second Line march. All of these performances are free and we hope families will enjoy this special concert experience!”

About Guest Artist Isaac Bloodworth
Isaac Bloodworth is a Black artist and performer born and raised right in New Haven. Bloodworth paints murals all around New Haven and has been commissioned by Citywide Youth Coalition and the City of New Haven’s Department of Arts and Culture to have his art displayed publicly across the city. His pieces and his history with puppet performances work to inspire the youth within the Black community to feel confident in themselves and to be seen for their lived experiences through art in their environment.

The Family Concerts are sponsored by The Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts; the Katharine Matthies Foundation; Pitney Bowes; Middletown Commission on the Arts; the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club; and the American Savings Foundation.