Palm Beach Symphony Lights Up Social Media As Concert Halls Go Dark

Sometimes it's the space between the notes that creates a masterwork. While the concert halls are dark, the Palm Beach Symphony is engaging the community with educational and entertaining online content featuring, among others: symphony musicians offering tricks of the trade; a former member of the hip-hop group Arrested Development and a nationally recognized attorney; and a financial expert who used to play drums in a punk rock band performing with his talented children.

"Over the years, Palm Beach Symphony has grown and contributed to the foundation that helps our community weather difficult times and emerge with renewed strength, purpose and resiliency," said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. "This time of physical isolation demands an emotional connection. Our musicians, board, staff, supporters and other arts organizations have joined with us in an initiative for parents who have become reluctant teachers, artists in need of support and anyone looking for inspiration. I hope you will join us on social media."

The initiative began with "One Voice," a collaboration the Symphony spearheaded with Ballet Palm Beach, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and Palm Beach Opera. McClymont approached Barry Manilow for the rights to use his song in the video that is presented by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County and features performers and students from each of the arts organizations sharing the message of hope.

Palm Beach Symphony is also premiering a series of educational videos that it commissioned from its musicians. Additionally, there are personal videos from its Emmy Award-winning Music Director Gerald Schwarz, videos from previous concerts and links to the best free arts content from the nation's great orchestras.

The videos or links to the videos are available at www.palmbeachsymphony.org and @pbysymphony on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The commissioned videos are part of Palm Beach Symphony's leadership support of area artists that includes offering a stipend to the orchestra in lieu of services that had to be cancelled for the remainder of the current season.

"Our board of directors felt it was imperative to offer financial assistance to our musicians," added McClymont. "They were scheduled to perform with us and with other orchestras who also have been forced by COVID-19 health concerns to cancel concerts."

A dozen of the Symphony musicians are each creating a four-part series of videos for music students. Among the videos currently posted and in production are:

• Claudio Jaffé (principal cello) demonstrating physics of sound production and bowing techniques;

• Juan Carlos Peña (principal double bass) exhibiting a variety of bow techniques as well as musicality, vibrato and interpretation of ornaments;

• Joseph Monticello (flute) reviewing tone production, breath support, technique, scales and repertoire;

• Robert Weiner (principal oboe) explaining playing dynamics, articulation, phrasing and reed pitch;

• Anna Brumbaugh (principal clarinet) demonstrating breath support, embouchure, finger placement and phrasing;

• Amber Dean (French horn) practicing Etudes, breathing exercises, daily warm up and fun at-home practice ideas;

• Marc Reese (principal trumpet) reviewing warming up during practice, intonation, ear training, articulation and air/breathing exercises;

• Domingo Pagliuca (principal trombone) demonstrating breathing, sound emission, articulation and scales and slide synchronization; and

• Lucas Sanchez (principal timpani) teaching tuning, holding the sticks and playing rolls, playing single strokes and buzz rolls on snare drum, and fun scale exercises on 2-mallet keyboard percussion.

Terrance Mason and Anthony E. DiResta, who have been known to throw private musical evenings for the Symphony, have also recorded a video. Mason was part of the group Rolling Stone once named Band of the Year and earned two Grammy Awards, two MTV awards, a Soul Train Music Award and the NCAAP Image Award with Arrested Development for its album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of.... DiResta, a partner with Holland & Knight, is familiar with the power of online engagement. He serves as General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs to the nation's premier advertising trade association that focuses on social media marketing.

Another video showcasing the depth of talent among Symphony supporters features the family of Todd W. Dahlstrom, a Vice President with PNC Wealth Management/Hawthorn, who has also recorded songs co-written with his wife, Julie. On guitar, Dahlstrom is joined by A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts sophomore Ellen, who plays mandolin even though it is her outstanding oboe playing that has made her a member of the National Honor Band and the All-State Band in Florida. She is joined by vocalist Claire, a 15-year-old veteran of local theater productions who has vocal coaching by former opera singer Jessica Valdez at Wellington Collegiate Academy. Joey performs on djembe, taking a break from the French Horn he plays as a 7th grade student in his school band.

Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony serves nearly 18,000 students each season.