March 4, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Musicians from the Oregon Symphony’s woodwind and string sections will present a chamber music concert on Tuesday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Coos Bay’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church as part of the Symphony’s ongoing Community Music Partnership (CMP) with the North Bend School District 13 and the Oregon Coast Music Association. CMP funding is provided by the Ford Family Foundation, the JELD-WEN Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and Pacificorp Foundation for Learning.
The chamber concert, the third of four Oregon Symphony chamber music concerts presented by the Oregon Coast Music Association, will feature flutist Martha Herby, oboist Karen Wagner, violinist Paloma Griffin, cellist Una O’Riordan, Principal Viola Joël Belgique and pianist Janet Jones. The program will include the music of Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, Debussy and Saint-Saëns. Tickets are $5 per person or $10 per family (parents with minor children). For tickets or further information, contact the Oregon Coast Music Association at 541-267-0938, (877) 897-9350 or email info@oregoncoastmusic.com. Emmanuel Episcopal Church is located at 400 Highland Ave. in Coos Bay. The final chamber music concert is scheduled for April 29.
Members of the Symphony’s brass, woodwind and string sections will be in residence at North Bend public schools March 8, 9, 16 and 17. “Every school in the district will benefit from these visits,” said Michael Kosmala, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement. These residencies, customized to meet each individual school’s needs in an interactive age-appropriate format, will include ensemble performances, instrument clinics, coachings, master classes, informances and “instrument petting zoos,” in which younger children will learn how individual instruments “work” through hands-on demonstrations.
“The commitment, interest and engagement of local groups with the CMP has been phenomenal,” said Kosmala. “Through their hard work it’s been exciting to see new relationships develop between schools, parent volunteers and community organizations.”
Last month’s residencies resulted in over 70 different events in Coos County, bringing students, educators and community members together with the Symphony’s musicians and staff to strengthen existing programs while integrating new arts programming into the curriculum and community. Other CMP concerts, residencies and collaborative projects will continue monthly in Coos County through May, 2005, culminating with two full-orchestra youth concerts and a community concert. Year two of the partnership features the implementation of a sustainability plan to ensure the impact of the partnership continues into the future.
The Community Music Partnership, the Symphony’s largest and most significant education and community initiative, is a music residency program that focuses Symphony resources on rural or remote Oregon communities of 30,000 people or less. Symphony staff works with a local steering committee to craft the orchestra’s presence to meet community needs over a two-year period.
For more information about the Symphony’s Community Music Partnership, visit the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.