New Haven, CT (May 19, 2014): The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO)’s 82nd annual Young People’s Concert hit the road for a “2014 World Tour” of The Remarkable Farkle & the Wolf. These educational concerts, which introduce students to musical instruments, genres, and composers, were sponsored by: The Henry E. and Nancy H. Bartels Fund for Education, Wells Fargo, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Performing Arts of Northeast Connecticut, the Katharine Matthies Foundation, the Milford Public Schools, and the Chester Kitchings Family Foundation.
The Symphony conducted by William Boughton and vaudevillian actor Michael Boudewyns from Really Inventive Stuff presented an unforgettable concert for students at glorious Woolsey Hall in New Haven on May 1. In attendance were thousands of students from Greater New Haven and the entire fourth grade of the New Haven Public Schools. The NHSO is honored to work in partnership with the New Haven Public Schools and to present this annual concert as the district’s “4th grade assured arts experience,” guaranteeing that each New Haven student sees and hears a live orchestra during their elementary school years. The Symphony hit the road, repeating the concert for partner-school districts in Milford, New London, Seymour, and Woodstock. Throughout all five cities, thousands of students were in attendance, many of whom were attending a symphonic concert for the very first time.
The program began with Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless classic, Peter and the Wolf, with Boudewyns embodying each character using ingenious props – a feather duster as the duck, a whiskered purse as the cat, and a suitcase with (felt) teeth as the wolf. At the conclusion of the piece, the orchestra was introduced by section, each wearing a colored tee-shirt indicating its musical family. Musicians proudly waved their instruments to the crowd as each section stood and students gleefully yelled out to identify each family of instruments. Next, Boudewyns narrated John Lithgow’s children’s book “The Remarkable Farkle McBride,” to the music of composer Bill Elliott. Students met each individual instrument of the orchestra to Lithgow’s words and Elliott’s melodies and the story’s hero discovered that his favorite sound of all was the instruments all playing together.
“The NHSO’s thematic focus for this year’s Young People’s Concerts was instruments of the orchestra. With the incredibly creative presentation of Peter and the Wolf given by Michael Boudewyns to the fantastic story of Farkle McBride, students heard the vast sound-world that an orchestra can produce as their imaginations soared. The orchestra, donning “world tour tee-shirts”, never looked more hip and gave students bright, colorful cues for how the musicians work together on stage. We are thrilled to present these programs for students across the state and look forward to these exciting days each and every year,” said NHSO Education Director, Laura Adam.
The NHSO will present Young People’s Concerts with Christopher Brubeck next season. For more information on giving students this great musical opportunity, contact Laura Adam: LAdam@NewHavenSymphony.org. General information about the Symphony’s education programs and concerts can be found at www.NewHavenSymphony.org.
