Little Orchestra Society's Lolli-Pops Presents MEET THE MAESTRO, 3/2-3

The Little Orchestra Society (LOS) presents MEET THE MAESTRO today, March 2, at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and Sunday, March 3, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th St. between Park and Lexington Aves.).

A conductor brings everyone in the orchestra together. Meet the person with the baton and see how gestures shape the music, as guest conductor André Raphel leads the orchestra in works by Beethoven, Strauss, Ravel and others. Children become conductors, learning the basics and helping to lead the orchestra with their own glow stick batons! The program is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles.

MEET THE MAESTRO (recommended for ages 3-5)
ANDRÉ RAPHEL, GUEST CONDUCTOR

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013, 10:00 A.M. AND 11:30 A.M.
SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013, 1:00 P.M. AND 2:30 P.M.

P.D.Q. BACH - Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments
BEETHOVEN - "Molto vivace" from Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
IBERT - "Parade" from Divertissement
STRAUSS - Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 134
DVO?ÁK - "Largo" from Symphony No. 9: From the New World
SHOSTAKOVICH - "Allegro con brio; Presto" from Piano Concerto No. 1
McDONALD - "Allegro Moderato" from Children's Symphony
RAVEL - Bolero
WALTON - Popular Songs from Façade Suite
SOUSA - Washington Post March
ROSS and DIXON - Lollipop

Performances are at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues). Single tickets: $15 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $45 (front balcony/front orchestra); available by calling 212/971-9500 or at littleorchestra.org or call The Kaye Playhouse box office at 212/772-4448.

Join the Conductor's Circle to receive exclusive privileges. Benefits include: best seating in the concert hall, concierge ticketing, invitations backstage to meet the guest conductors and artists, and two complimentary tickets to an LOS performance. Conductor's Circle membership helps to keep music in the lives of thousands of New York City public school students through LOS's music education and public service programs. Please call the development office at 212/971-9500 for more information.

The Little Orchestra Society's new website serves as the gateway to its live magical and musical experiences. Parents and children can find activities, games, chats and other materials surrounding Little Orchestra Society concerts at any time through the LOS Kids section of www.littleorchestra.org.

In the Lolli-Pops series (recommended for ages 3-5) the programs introduce young children to the basic elements of music, and incorporate dance, music and visual art with the help of characters who each represent one of the four families of the orchestra. At every Lolli-Pops concert, children actively participate in the program and also receive musical instruments or educational materials to take home. Preparatory and follow-up activities are sent via email to all concert attendees. The Lolli-Pops series was originally created by the Orchestra's late Music Director, Dino Anagnost. The series is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles.

About André Raphel, Guest Conductor: André Raphel has established a reputation as an exciting and versatile conductor through innovative programming, a commitment to American music, and fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire. Described by the New York Times as "An agile, demonstrative conductor who is physically drawn into the music," Mr. Raphel is currently in his tenth season as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. He has led the Orchestra in commissioned works by Richard Danielpour, Jennifer Higdon, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and in June 2013 leads the world premiere of a new work by Kenneth Fuchs.

Mr. Raphel enjoys an active career as a guest conductor. During the 2012-13 season, he conducts the Oregon Symphony and leads the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston. Last season he made a successful debut with the Detroit Symphony and recorded with the Bamberg Symphony in Germany. Mr. Raphel has appeared with most of the major American orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

André Raphel made his European debut in 2005 with the Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, and returned to Europe during the 2006-07 season to lead the Moravska Philharmonie. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1997, leading Robert Shaw (as narrator in "A Lincoln Portrait") and the Orchestra of St. Luke's in a concert celebrating the centennial of legendary mezzo-soprano Marian Anderson.

Mr. Raphel served as an Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic for two years. He was Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for six years, where he worked closely with Wolfgang Sawallisch. Prior to his appointment in Philadelphia, Mr. Raphel served for three years as Assistant Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony where he worked with Leonard Slatkin.

Mr. Raphel has an active interest in audience development. During his tenure with the Saint Louis Symphony, he served as Music Director of the orchestra's "In Unison" program. His commitment to education is reflected in his work at leading universities and conservatories. He has led the Juilliard Orchestra, New World Symphony, and University of Maryland Orchestra, among others.

Born André Raphel Smith in Durham, North Carolina, he began formal music lessons at age 11. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami, and pursued further study at Yale University where he earned his Master's Degree. While at Yale, he studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller, continuing those studies at The Curtis Institute of Music where he earned a Diploma in conducting, and at The Juilliard School where he was awarded the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship and received an Advanced Certificate in orchestral conducting.

Mr. Raphel is the recipient of numerous honors and awards which attest to his artistry. In 2010, the Philadelphia Orchestra issued a special commemorative CD featuring William Grant Still's Symphony No. 1 with Mr. Raphel conducting. He also received the "Order of the Long Leaf Pine" from the North Carolina Senate. The award, presented annually, is the state's highest honor for a civilian.

About Annette Jolles, Director/Choreographer: Annette Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director, writer and producer for stage and television. She has developed and directed numerous new works including the Off-Broadway premieres of That Time of the Year and Little By Little (The York Theatre Company), Wallenberg (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Passion of the Hausfrau (Portland Stage Company), The Jerusalem Syndrome (NYMF), Suddenly Hope (Denver Civic Theater, Garfield Theater, & Rich Forum Theater), Manhattan Madcaps of 1924 (Symphony Space "Summer Stock on Broadway" Series) and Big Red Sun (Theatreworks Palo Alto's New Works Festival). As a founding partner of KTW Productions, she produced, co-wrote and direcTed Keeping the Word and The Handshake, which toured nationwide.

Since 1992, she has been Director/Choreographer for The Little Orchestra Society's Lolli-Pops concerts for young children at Florence Gould Hall and The Kaye Playhouse. She has also directed productions of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Berezowsky's Babar the Elephant, and an adaptation of Peter and the Wolf, all with LOS at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

Theatrical concert credits include the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists series, Grind (The York's Musicals in Mufti), and New Voices Concerts at London's Southbank Centre and Symphony Space, where she also staged Broadway and Beyond with host Rob Fisher, and their monumental Wall to Wall Sondheim tribute.

For the past three years, she produced and directed Restoring Honor at the Lincoln Memorial, Restoring Courage in Jerusalem's Davidson Center, and Restoring Love at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, as well as their supporting events at the Kennedy Center, the Caesarea Amphitheatre and Jerusalem's Old Train Station. As a producing partner in Bard Theatricals, she was represented on Broadway with Looped, starring Valerie Harper, and Scottsboro Boys, for which she received a 2011 Tony nomination for Best Musical.

For twenty years, Ms. Jolles has produced, directed and associate directed for Bard Entertainment, a television Production Company specializing in live multi-camera events and entertainment specials. Her extensive work in television has earned her three Emmy Awards as producer of the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero and producer/writer for Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! (PBS), and six additional Emmy nominations. Highlights of broadcasts include Holiday in Bryant Park and Broadway Under the Stars (CBS), Celebrate Israel Parade (WWOR/My9), Egypt Week Live (Discovery), Homecoming (ESPN), The Dr. Joy Browne Show (Discovery Health), Company and Camelot (PBS, Live from Lincoln Center), Romance/Romance, Nunsense 1, 2 & 3, Stop the World... (PBS, A&E, TNN), This American Life Live 1 & 2 (movie theater simulcasts), the New York Giants and New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parades, and eight years of the world feed of the Times Square New Year's Eve festivities. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she currently teaches musical theater performance and direction.

The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon, Inc. (LOS), now in its 65th season, performed its inaugural concert at The Town Hall on October 20, 1947, and has since been devoted to presenting music and educational programming that inspires audiences of all ages to encourage a lifetime of participation in the arts. LOS honors both the past, by presenting ensemble pieces created by the great early composers, while also "orchestrating the innovation" in classical music through world premieres of new works -- more than 65 throughout its history. The Orchestra performs dynamic repertoire using multiple art forms to create meaningful experiences for today's audiences.

LOS's mission to present music in engaging, educational contexts was refined under the direction of the late Maestro Dino Anagnost, who led the orchestra from 1979 to 2011. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has given many important premieres and launched the careers of major musical talents in its concert programming for adult audiences. In addition to its concert performances, its music education and community engagement programs educate and entertain New York Metropolitan Area children and their families, as well as senior citizens, through the Musical Connections, Live In Concert! and Project 65Plus programs.

Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program, a year-long music education program, teaches students the basic elements of music by engaging them in the process of composing their own works. Live In Concert! seeks to instill a lasting love of music in children and their families and to create new audiences for classical music. New York City public school students and children from publicly-funded daycare centers and social service agencies attend The Little Orchestra Society's dress rehearsals and concerts without charge. Project 65Plus recognizes the importance of life-long learning and provides senior New Yorkers with free admission to the Orchestra's concerts. LOS also works to serve grandparents who are caregivers. More than 12,000 people participate in LOS music education and public service programs each year.

The Little Orchestra Society's concert series includes the Peabody Award-winning Happy Concerts for Young People for children ages 6-12, the Lolli-Pops for children ages 3-5, and the concerts for adults, which have included Vivaldi's Venice, Cathedral Concerts - Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome and Sound Discoveries. For more information, visit littleorchestra.org or call 212/971-9500.

Photo Credit: Noah Stern Weber