Palm Beach Symphony Offers Free Virtual Concert To Families

Last season, Palm Beach Symphony added arts to the STEM curriculum to create the STEAM-powered One Small Step and fuel students' imaginations. This year, after being shown to students in Palm Beach and Broward counties as virtual field trips, One Small Step is being offered as a free virtual family concert on Saturday, March 13 at 6 p.m.

Those who register to receive the link to view the concert will be able to access it for an entire week following the concert on computers, tablets, smartphones and televisions.

"By adopting streaming technology for our Masterworks Series Concerts, we realized that we had an innovative new tool to reach more students than ever before and also make our family concert more impactful," said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. "Instead of accepting that we had to do less during this time we can't perform in person, I am extremely proud of our staff who found a way to bring the full educational experience out of the classroom right into people's homes."

With a little bit of Milky Way Magic, One Small Step revisits man's first steps on the moon as audiences hitch a ride on Apollo 11 with the inquisitive moon rock Rocky de Luna and explore scientific concepts such as the Earth's rotation and gravity along the way.

Appropriate for all ages, One Small Step integrates music, dance, science and history. The free online curriculum guide offers engaging activities that range from identifying instrument families to making the phases of the moon with cookies. Families will have free access to the concert program and an introduction to the orchestra and its instruments led by Palm Beach Symphony's world-renown Music Director Gerard Schwarz.

Maestro Schwarz leads the Symphony in a program of American composers that includes Aaron Copland's joyous "Fanfare for the Common Man" and selections from his "Lincoln Portrait" with special space-related text as well as Joan Tower's celebration of adventurous women, "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman." No musical trip to outer space would be complete without selections from John Williams' beloved Star Wars score: "Princess Leia's Theme," "The Imperial March" and "Throne Room and End Title."

One Small Step is narrated by Brenda Alford, an award-winning vocalist and singer who was admired and encouraged by Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter. Demetrius Klein created the choreography in which he and members of the Demetrius Klein Dance Company, Kristen Vencel and Julie Williams, help Rocky de Luna take flight.

The concert was filmed at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts which also hosted two weeks of One Small Step virtual field trips for students in Palm Beach County. Pre- and post-concert workshops were made available free of charge to 4th grade classes in Palm Beach County Title 1 schools. In addition, Broward County students enjoyed two weeks of virtual field trips at the Miramar Cultural Center Arts Park.

Reservations and educational resources for One Small Step are available on the Symphony's website at https://www.palmbeachsymphony.org/events/one-small-step.