The Philadelphia Orchestra's new music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will participate in an All City Orchestra Workshop and Retreat at the Curtis Institute of Music on Saturday, January 26, from 12 PM-4:15 PM. This annual event, now in its fifth year, brings together the nearly 100 high school student musicians that comprise the School District of Philadelphia's All City Orchestra for a day of music-making alongside Curtis Institute of Music students. The workshop, which features master classes and sectionals-even a career discussion panel-all facilitated by current Curtis students-gives high schoolers an up-close look at what it takes to perform at the highest professional level, and offers an unprecedented opportunity to interact with musicians from one of the world's leading music conservatories.
This year, All City Orchestra musicians will get the chance of a lifetime-the opportunity to perform under the baton of Nézet-Séguin as he leads an hour-long orchestra reading session. This is Nézet-Séguin's very first interaction with students from the All City Orchestra, and comes on the heels of his recent work with the School District of Philadelphia's All City Choir in the Orchestra's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute concert on January 21. In this reading session, students will play alongside current Curtis students, while learning from Nézet-Séguin, new music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the pre-eminent orchestras in existence today. The All City Orchestra boasts students from nearly 20 high schools within the School District of Philadelphia, and is directed by Don Liuzzi, principal timpani of The Philadelphia Orchestra and a Curtis faculty member.
Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore comments, "We celebrate the coming together of these three longstanding partners, in the name of blanketing our community with a love of music, a fulfillment of The Philadelphia Orchestra's mission. We are eager for Yannick to have this chance to use his immense talent to mentor and inspire Philadelphia students. And we are pleased that our own principal timpanist Don Liuzzi, who leads the All City Orchestra, helped to bring this about. This is just one way in which the Orchestra's footprint in Philadelphia goes well beyond the conventional concert stage."
"These are challenging times for support of the arts, so it is all the more important that we who are practicing musicians hold a commitment to working with young, aspiring musicians, encouraging their hard work and developing their talent," said Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. "This Day of Music retreat is a wonderful opportunity to provide inspiration and confidence to these young artists and I look forward to my first opportunity to work with the students who are a part of Philadelphia's All City Orchestra."
"The School District of Philadelphia is truly honored to have Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conduct our All City Orchestra students at the Curtis Institute Retreat," commented Dennis Creedon, School District of Philadelphia Assistant Superintendent. "Keeping with a long tradition, Yannick follows Leopold Stokowski who conducted an All City Orchestra rehearsal in the 1960s, and Christoph Eschenbach who conducted our students in concert in 2003. Our partnership with The Philadelphia Orchestra is extensive and ensures future generations of music lovers. The Philadelphia Orchestra is to be commended for its continued support of music education in the schools of our city."
