10,000 children to perform with RI Philharmonic in six concerts at Vets Philharmonic/Carnegie Hall s Link Up program caps a year of music education

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2013 CONTACT: Wayne Wilkins, Director of Marketing & Communications / wwilkins@riphil.org 10,000 children to perform with RI Philharmonic in six concerts at Vets Philharmonic/Carnegie Hall s Link Up program caps a year of music education EAST PROVIDENCE, RI: On April 9, 10 and 11, ten thousand of the region s third, fourth and fifth grade students will make their debut playing with the Rhode Island Philharmonic at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence. The six concerts are the culmination of a year of school-based music education with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School s FLEX program (Foundations in Learning Exploration). The Philharmonic seeks to serve every elementary student in the state within five years is the Philharmonic s second season of Link Up, developed by Carnegie Hall s Weill Music Institute. Providing instruments, curriculum materials and professional development to schools, Link Up culminates in concerts where students play along with the Philharmonic not just for the finale, but for 75% of the program. In 2012, seven thousand students participated in four concerts; this year, ten thousand children will play in six concerts, titled The Orchestra Moves. Link Up has grown by nearly 50% since last year, said David Beauchesne, executive director of the RI Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School. Rhode Island and surrounding communities want and need quality music education, and our community partners Hasbro Children s Fund, Bank of America, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the Alviti Foundation, along with many others, share our goal: to provide five years of quality music education to every elementary student in the state. A robust elementary school music program will pay off at every level; it will create demand for existing programs in middle and high schools, encourage administrators and parents to advocate for music in our schools, and improve academic achievement across the board. The Philharmonic has been presenting education concerts since 1946, said Annette Mozzoni, the Philharmonic s director of education and the Music School. Performed by the full Philharmonic Orchestra at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, these concerts are the first introduction, for many students, to music played by a large group of people on many different instruments. Our partnership with Carnegie Hall takes these concerts a big step further: Link Up unites the classroom with the concert hall, in a curriculum aligned with national standards for music learning. FLEX is designed in consultation with area teachers and administrators to complement existing in-school programs, while making use of the distinctive resources of the Orchestra and Music School. Its three components are: 1. Listen Up: a five-year music listening program based on curricula that have been successfully implemented in elementary schools throughout the United States and Canada. Five-minute musical selections chosen from the work of thirty composers spanning four centuries are played in all of a school s classrooms daily for a week. Each is preceded by informational scripts whose aggregate provides both a foundation for the experience and a stepping stone for further exploration. The program requires a minimum of teacher preparation and direction: schools

2 receive five years of scripts and recordings, as well as professional development and assessment tools. 2. Link Up: Designed by Carnegie Hall s Weill Music Institute, the program provides recorders and workbooks for third, fourth and fifth graders, and a hands-on curriculum that teaches the basics of music and music making through performance and creative work. Aside from music literacy, the curriculum includes interdisciplinary lessons with historical and cultural context, and a math exercise where students "score" melodies based on intervals. When students attend the culminating concert, they bring their instruments and become members of the orchestra not just for the finale, but for 75% of the concert. 3. Phil Up: Intended to follow students previously participating in Listen Up and Link Up as they move into middle and high school, Phil Up provides artist residencies and ensemble workshops, customized for each school s needs, to complement existing music programs and infuse music across the curriculum. FLEX benefits the community, both now and in the long term. Students gain basic music literacy; singing and/or recorder proficiency; exposure to the symphonic music tradition; and increased interest in music and the music-making process. In the big picture, said Mozzoni, in-depth involvement in the arts leads to stronger academic achievement, higher graduation rates, loftier career aspirations, and greater civic engagement particularly in underserved children. Teacher success and job satisfaction are strengthened, as well. FLEX Supporters Carnegie Hall / Weill Music Institute Bank of America Amgen Citizens Bank Bristol County Savings Bank Miss Universe Olivia Culpo The Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Classic The Victoria Alviti Music Foundation The Rhode Island Foundation June Rockwell Levy Foundation Mary Dexter Chafee Fund Frederick C. Tanner Fund Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Rhode Island Music Educators Association National Guild for Community Arts Education Hasbro / Hasbro Children s Fund Taco / The White Family Foundation Textron TD Bank St. Anne s Hospital Highland Pediatrics Collette Vacations The Vets Foundation The Carter Family Charitable Trust Grant Sherburne Fund Ocean State Charities Trust City of East Providence City of Pawtucket City of Providence League of American Orchestras

3 Concert participation, by date Tuesday April 9 9:45 Central Falls: The Learning Community Cranston: Arlington Elementary School, Stone Hill School Lincoln: Central Elementary School, Lonsdale Elementary School, Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy Pawtucket: Potter-Burns School, Henry J. Winters School Warwick: Cedar Hill Elementary School, Park Elementary School, John Brown Francis Elementary School, Greenwood School, Cottrell F. Hoxsie Elementary School West Warwick: John F. Horgan Elementary School Tuesday April 9 11:30 Central Falls: Seton Academy Coventry: Washington Oak Elementary School Cumberland: Joseph L. McCourt Middle School North Cumberland: North Cumberland Middle School Fall River, MA: John J. Doran Elementary School, William S. Greene Elementary School, Spencer Borden Elementary School, Mary L Fonseca Elementary School, Alfred S. Letourneau Elementary School, James Tansey Elementary School, Samuel Watson Elementary School, Carlton M. Viveiros Elementary School Putnam, CT: Putnam Elementary and Middle Schools Wednesday April 10 9:45 East Providence: J.R.D. Oldham Elementary School Exeter: Metcalf Elementary School Pawtucket: Curvin McCabe Elementary School, M. Virginia Cunningham School, Agnes E. Little School, Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary School, Fallon Memorial School Wednesday April 10 11:30 Central Falls: Veterans Memorial Elementary Cranston: Edgewood Highland Elementary School, William R. Dutemple School, Stadium Elementary School, Eden Park Elementary School East Greenwich: Our Lady of Mercy School North Providence: Greystone Elementary School Providence: Paul Cuffee School, Lillian Feinstein Elementary School at Sackett St., Harry Kizirian Elementary School Berkley, MA: Berkley Community School Thursday April 11 9:45 Barrington: St. Andrews School Cumberland: Blackstone Valley Prep North Kingstown: West Bay Christian Academy Pawtucket: Nathanael Greene School, Flora S. Curtis Memorial School, Francis J. Varieur School Providence: Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary School, Community Preparatory School Fall River, MA: Saints Peter and Paul School Franklin, MA: John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Gerald M. Parmenter Elementary School Plainville, MA: Beatrice H. Wood Elementary School Westport, MA: Westport Elementary School Thursday April 11 11:30 Central Falls: Ella Risk Elementary Cranston: Edward S. Rhodes School Cumberland: Blackstone Valley Prep, Ashton School East Providence: Alice M. Waddington Elementary School, Emma G. Whiteknact School Providence: Highlander Charter School Woonsocket: Harris Elementary School, Bernon Heights Elementary School, Leo A. Savoie Elementary School

4 ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School is the largest fully integrated orchestra and music school in the United States. Our mission is to enrich and transform Rhode Island and our region through great music performance and education is the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra s 68th Season, Music Director Larry Rachleff s 17th with the Orchestra. The season includes an eight-concert Classical Series with a roster of worldrenowned guest artists. Our Amica Rush Hour Series offers an early start time 6:30pm on four Fridays. These shorter, informal, accessible classical concerts feature repertoire from the Saturday Classical concerts. Our four Open Rehearsals offer audience members insight into the collaboration between the conductor, guest artists and orchestra musicians as they prepare for the upcoming classical concert. Special events include the perennial holiday favorite Handel s Messiah with the Providence Singers. Resident Conductor Francisco Noya conducts our Education Concerts and our Summer Pops Concerts. Now in its 25th year, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School serves more than 1,800 children, youth and adults every week with lessons, classes, ensembles and community partnership programs, and an additional 13,000 students annually through partnerships, residencies, education concerts and in-school performances. Ensembles include five youth orchestras, two wind ensembles, eleven jazz ensembles and many chamber music ensembles and the RI Philharmonic Community Orchestra for adults. Information is available at TICKETS AND DISCOUNTS TICKETS FOR ALL PHILHARMONIC CLASSICAL CONCERTS may be purchased 24/7 on the Philharmonic website: riphil.org/tickets. Tickets and subscriptions may also be purchased at the Philharmonic box office at 667 Waterman Avenue, East Providence, by phone ( ) or in person Monday Friday 9am 4:30pm. On Open Rehearsal and Rush Hour Fridays, ticket sales are also available at The Vets box office, from 2:00pm until showtime. On Saturday concert days, tickets are available onsite at The Vets box office in person from 3:30pm until showtime, or by calling Ticket prices for the Saturday Classical concerts range from $15 to $100 for adults with discounts in selected areas of the hall for full time students and groups of 10 or more. Friday Amica Rush Hour tickets range from $15 to $48, with the same discounts as Saturday Classical concerts. Tickets for Open Dress Rehearsals are $12. Student rush for Saturday Classical concerts: at 7:30pm if there are tickets remaining, a full time student presenting a student ID may buy one ticket for $12. There is free parking for all Philharmonic concerts at designated lots along Smith Street. The Philharmonic provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lots before and after the concerts.

5 UPCOMING RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC CLASSICAL CONCERTS BEETHOVEN S FIFTH!!!: On Saturday April 13 at 8pm, Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the Orchestra perform an all Beethoven concert featuring the Egmont Overture, Symphony No. 1 in C major, op.21 and the ever popular Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op.67. There will be an AMICA RUSH HOUR performance of Beethoven s Fifth, along with a RIPYO side by side performance, Friday April 12 at 6:30pm. SEASON FINALE! THE RESURRECTION SYMPHONY: On Saturday May 4 at 8pm, Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the Orchestra conclude the Classical season with soprano ILANA DAVIDSON, mezzo soprano SUSAN PLATTS, and the PROVIDENCE SINGERS in a performance of Mahler s Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Resurrection). An Open Rehearsal will be held Friday May 3 at 5:30pm. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 20, 2013 CONTACT: Wayne Wilkins, Director of Marketing & Communications /

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 20, 2013 CONTACT: Wayne Wilkins, Director of Marketing & Communications 401.248.7024 / wwilkins@riphil.org THE VICTORIA ALVITI MUSIC FOUNDATION PROVIDES MUSIC EDUCATION FOR