Students From All Boroughs Compete in Bklyn's Phil's Chamber Ensemble Fest

The Brooklyn Philharmonic proudly announces its Fourth Annual Student Chamber Ensemble Festival. On Saturday, March 19, a record-setting 41 middle and high school chamber ensembles representing all five Boroughs of New York City will test their skills in one of the city's largest public classical music ensemble festivals.

Hosted by the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Brooklyn Philharmonic's Student Chamber Ensemble Festival is a full-day event that brings together student ensembles of a variety of instrumentations to show off their talents to their peers at other schools. Ensembles compete in five different categories - Middle School, Intermediate High School, Advanced High School Instrumental, Concertos & Sonatas, and Vocal - for cash prizes ($1,500 total per category) that are awarded to their school music programs. Musicians from the Brooklyn Philharmonic, along with notable performers and music teachers from the City, will judge the contest.

A central component of Brooklyn Philharmonic's music education programs, the Chamber Ensemble Festival represents the culmination of the work students accomplish on their own and through Study with the Masters, a program that provides student chamber ensembles with professional coachings from Brooklyn Phil musicians and teaching artists.

The festival inspires students to work together in developing skills of communication and professionalism, all the while furthering their musicianship in the rehearsal and performance of time-honored chamber works. In addition, participating students experience the exhilaration of representing their schools at a city-wide contest.

Monetary prizes are generously donated by Brian Connolly, alumnus of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School.

BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIC

The Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Philharmonic recently announced the appointment of ALAN PIERSON as the orchestra's new Artistic Director. Alan's debut 2011-2012 season will be announced later this year. This appointment opens a new era for the Brooklyn Philharmonic as it redefines the modern urban orchestra and its relationship to the community. Going beyond the traditional idea of a big symphony orchestra in a marble hall, the new Brooklyn Philharmonic will travel out to the Borough's myriad neighborhoods, partnering with community organizations to develop live events that connect the orchestra with local musical traditions in original and exciting collaborations. In the process, the Brooklyn Philharmonic will also take on many forms-ranging from full-sized symphony orchestra to smaller ensembles-and perform in a variety of genres.

Founded in 1954, the Brooklyn Philharmonic is one of the nation's most innovative ensembles and Brooklyn's only professional orchestra. Under the leadership of esteemed conductors Michael Christie, Robert Spano, Dennis Russell Davies, Lukas Foss, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic's founding father, Siegfried Landau, the Brooklyn Philharmonic has played a leading role in the presentation of creative and thematic programming, receiving 22 ASCAP Awards for "Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music" and giving world premieres of over 166 works, including 65 commissions.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic's renewed mission is to serve, celebrate, and contribute to the diverse and ever-changing cultural fabric of Brooklyn. Dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and education, the Philharmonic engages Brooklyn's culturally, geographically, and ethnically diverse population, approaching the orchestra as a living tradition that can both enrich these communities and be enriched by them. To these ends, the orchestra will perform music of numerous styles in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor venues. The Brooklyn Philharmonic will also continue to grow its nationally recognized music education programs serving thousands of the Borough's public and private school children.

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