Kendall Square Orchestra Presents Annual SYMPHONY FOR SCIENCE This June

The Kendall Square Orchestra will present its fourth annual Symphony for Science on Sunday June 4th at Symphony Hall in Boston.

K2O is an ensemble of classically trained musicians working in the tech and life sciences in the Kendall Square community that collaborates, innovates, and inspires through music while supporting causes related to healthcare and STEM education. Proceeds from this year's concert will benefit Next Step. Tickets for Symphony for Science on June 4, 2023 are on sale at symphonyforscience.org.

Founded in 2001 by Executive Director Bill Kubicek and the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, Next Step aims to shatter limitations and elevate the aspirations of young people, offering services to those with life-threatening diseases as they transition from pediatric to adult care.

Under the baton of Music Director Kristo Kondakçi, Symphony for Science will center on themes of overcoming adversity, composers living with rare diseases, and the powerful journey from struggle to triumph. Among the music scheduled will be works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Gustav Mahler, Lili Boulanger, and Ludwig van Beethoven, whose 5th Symphony "is a testament to the journey from struggle to triumph," declared Kondakçi.

Symphony for Science will also feature the concert debut of "Come and Walk a Mile/My Mile," which premiered online on Rare Disease Day, February 28, 2023. Pfizer commissioned K2O and Next Step to create this work in recognition of Rare Disease Day and to honor rare disease patients and their families. Although individually they are classified as "rare," considered together, rare diseases affect as many as 1 in 10 people in the United States. Rare Disease Day, which occurs annually on the last day of February, is an opportunity to raise awareness for the many people who are less often in the spotlight.

"As a person living with a rare disease myself," said Kondakçi who led the collaboration with Next Step and orchestrated and arranged the piece for multiple ensemble sizes.. "I was moved by how transformational the process of creating 'My Mile' was for the young people of Next Step and for our musicians, many of whom also live with rare diseases. It is more than a song, it is an anthem for the rare disease community, with the vision to empower listeners to express their stories and come together with empathy, joy, and courage."

Kimberly Khare, Music Therapy Director at Next Step, believes in using music to help young people find their voice. "Our young people have such capacity, vibrancy, and potential," she says, "and serious illness is hogging the mic of their life. They are incredible creators, living the 'everlasting mile' often with little to no support given ableism, racism, and negativism. Despite these challenges, they build powerful communities together that center on wellness, shared experience, and empathy." Those young people are responsible for the lyrics in "My Mile."

Kendall Square Orchestra presents Symphony for Science, Sunday June 4 at 3pm at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. For tickets and additional information, visit symphonyforscience.org.

Kendall Square Orchestra's first concert of 2023 See the Music, Hear the Dance will take place on Friday, March 10 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. To purchase tickets, visit kendallsquareorchestra.org.

Founded in 2018 and based in Cambridge, MA, the Kendall Square Orchestra (K2O) is a volunteer classical music ensemble of primarily science & technology professionals. K2O connects 70+ classically trained musicians working across over 50 diverse organizations in the academic and corporate community of Kendall Square through music, to spark innovation and support causes related to healthcare, education, and equity.

With its guiding mantra of Orchestrate. Collaborate. Innovate., K2O has performed everywhere from biotech conferences and Cambridge city parks to Symphony Hall in Boston. K2O produces an annual Symphony for Science benefit concert that brings together local corporate sponsors, community organizations, and audiences to raise awareness, funds, and hope for healthcare and STEM education causes. Now in its fourth year, Symphony for Science has raised over $125,000 in support of local benefiting organizations.

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