OVER 10,000 LOCAL STUDENTS IN GRADES 3 5 TO TAKE PART IN LINK UP, AN INTERACTIVE LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE, ON MARCH 1, 7, & 9 AT BENAROYA HALL

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1 For Immediate Release: February 15, 2017 The concert was electrifying... It was one of the most phenomenal things I have ever experienced in my 28 years of teaching. Seattle Public School Teacher OVER 10,000 LOCAL STUDENTS IN GRADES 3 5 TO TAKE PART IN LINK UP, AN INTERACTIVE LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE, ON MARCH 1, 7, & 9 AT BENAROYA HALL 1,900 Students Also Participate in Teaching Artist Residency Programs Link Up Uses Hands-On Music Education Curriculum from Carnegie Hall Seattle, WA On March 1, 7, and 9, Link Up: Seattle Symphony will engage over 10,000 students and teachers in 116 public and private schools from 33 school districts across the Puget Sound region in an unforgettable experience when they join the Seattle Symphony in a live performance. Following months of preparation in their own schools led by their classroom teachers, music teachers or Seattle Symphony Teaching Artists, students will become part of the orchestra by singing and playing the recorder and other instruments from their seats. Laura Reynolds, Director of Education & Community Engagement: Link Up not only connects students to a live orchestra experience, but also encourages them to fully participate in the music-making process. Teachers report that their students not only learn music through this program, but they also learn citizenship, teamwork and

2 perseverance. We believe the arts are a powerful vehicle for engaging kids in school and we re thrilled that our partner schools are enthusiastic about sharing this unique experience with their students. Link Up is a highly participatory multi-year music curriculum for 3rd to 5th graders. Over the course of each year s program, students learn to sing and play orchestral repertoire while focusing on specific concepts, including rhythm, melody, tempo, orchestration and composition. Using materials provided free of charge by Carnegie Hall s Weill Music Institute to 80 partner orchestras around the world, teachers guide students in exploring music through a composer s lens, with students participating in active music-making in the classroom; performing repertoire on recorder, violin, voice or body percussion; and taking part in creative work such as composing their own pieces inspired by the orchestral music they have studied. The culminating performance at Benaroya Hall often serves as students first concert experience and provides them with the opportunity to apply the musical concepts they have studied. New this year, the North Kitsap School District adopted Link Up districtwide for all of its elementary schools. The Highline School District also offers Link Up to all fourth graders in its district. The Seattle Symphony is a community arts partner with the City of Seattle and Seattle Public School s Creative Advantage Program, and fully supports their goal of achieving arts equity by The program serves a wide variety of students across the Puget Sound region including those who are economically disadvantaged. 35% of schools served have a free and reduced lunch rate and/or English language learner rate of 60% or higher. This year, the Seattle Symphony provided 116 participating schools with Link Up materials and professional development workshops and resources for teachers at a low cost of $75 per class. Schools serving low-income families receive the materials at a discounted rate. Additionally, Seattle Symphony Teaching Artists are providing teaching activities in 20 different five- or 10-week residency programs in local classrooms, serving over 1,900 students. This season, one additional school is participating in a 20-week residency program. Students participating in the residency

3 programs receive their own recorders from the Seattle Symphony. Prior to this year s program, the Seattle Symphony served a total of over 37,000 students through Link Up. During the season, Link Up will feature The Orchestra Sings, exploring melody as one of the universal elements of music. Students discover how melodies are made and how composers and orchestras use melodies to sing. Exploring a range of orchestral repertoire, students will sing, play the recorder and/or violin, compose and perform in a culminating concert at Benaroya Hall in March More students could benefit from the Seattle Symphony s Link Up program in the future through Access for All, a proposal currently before the King County Council to increase funding for arts, science and heritage organizations to expand access to arts and music in our public schools and access to diverse cultural experiences throughout the county. For more information, please visit Photo credit: Brandon Patoc Link Up School Concert Program Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Link Up: The Orchestra Sings Pablo Rus Broseta, conductor Jessica Skerritt, Host Seattle Pro Musica, Vocal Ensemble Seattle Symphony THOMAS CABANISS BENJAMIN BRITTEN JOSEPH BRACKETT /arr. Robert Maggio LEONARD BERNSTEIN ANTONÍN DVORÁK /arr. Thomas Cabaniss Mr. McCurdy s 5 th Grade Class from David Wolfle Elementary LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN IGOR STRAVINSKY JIM PAPOULIS Come to Play Fugue: Allegro molto from The Young Person s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 Simple Gifts Overture to Candide Largo from Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From the New World Wolfle Symphony Ode to Joy Finale from The Firebird Suite Oye

4 Special thanks to The Boeing Company, Chihuly Garden + Glass, The Clowes Fund, Elizabeth McGraw Foundation, Richard and Francine Loeb, D.V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust, Music4Life, Peg and Rick Young Foundation, the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, Weill Music Institute, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Wyman Youth Trust. The Seattle Symphony s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The Boeing Company, Chihuly Garden + Glass, Citi Community Capital, The Clowes Fund, Inc., the Elizabeth McGraw Foundation, KeyBank Foundation, the League of American Orchestras, Richard and Francine Loeb, Kjristine Lund, D.V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust, Music4Life, Music Works Northwest, the National Endowment for the Arts, Peach Foundation, the Peg and Rick Young Foundation, Russell Investments, Seattle Pacific University, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, Christine and Michel Suignard, Ten Grands Seattle, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, the U.S. Bank Foundation, UW Autism Center, Weill Music Institute, Wells Fargo Foundation, the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation and the Wyman Youth Trust. About Carnegie Hall s Weill Music Institute Carnegie Hall s Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall s commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall s mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world s greatest artists, WMI s programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow s musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people s lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall s concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. Approximately 600,000 people each year engage in WMI s programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes 380,000 students and teachers worldwide who participate in WMI s Link Up music education program for students in grades 3 through 5, made possible through partnerships with over 90 orchestras in the US, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, and Spain. About the Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is one of America's leading symphony orchestras and is internationally acclaimed for its innovative programming and extensive recording history. Under the leadership of Music Director Ludovic Morlot since September 2011, the Symphony is heard from September through July by more than 500,000 people through live performances and radio broadcasts. It performs in one of the finest modern concert halls in the world the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Its extensive education and community engagement programs reach over 65,000 children and adults each year. The Seattle Symphony has a deep commitment to new music, commissioning many works by living composers each season. The orchestra has made nearly 150 recordings and has received two Grammy Awards, 23 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and

5 numerous other accolades. In 2014 the Symphony launched its in-house recording label, Seattle Symphony Media. Media Contacts: Jennifer Rice, Interim PR Manager, (206) ### Rosalie Contreras, Vice President of Communications, (206)