Carnegie Hall Announces LINK UP School Program

Now in its 32nd season, Link Up is the longest-running school program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI). Designed for students in grades 3-5, the program facilitates deeper connections between the concert hall and the classroom through an instrument-focused curriculum that culminates in an annual participatory concert. This month marks the inaugural concerts of The Orchestra Swings-the first new Link Up curriculum since 2012-designed to introduce the idea of "swing" through a conversation between the symphony orchestra and a jazz septet. The nearly 15,000 New York City-area students and teachers who have adopted this program during the 2016-2017 school year will travel to Carnegie Hall for six culminating concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on May 23, 24, and 25.

The Orchestra Swings at Carnegie Hall featuresOrchestra of St. Luke's conducted by Rossen Milanov, and co-hosted by teaching artist and composer Thomas Cabaniss and jazz musicianChris Washburne, who also leads the Rags and Roots jazz septet. One of the highlights of the performances will be the premiere of composer Courtney Bryan's new work, "Do Your Thing," commissioned especially for The Orchestra Swings as part of Carnegie Hall's 125 Commissions Project. Full program information is listed below.

The Link Up programs are now comprised of four distinctive, year-long curricula: The Orchestra Moves (exploring movement within music), The Orchestra Sings (exploring melody), The Orchestra Rocks (exploring rhythm), and The Orchestra Swings (exploring the intersection of classical music and jazz). Link Up materials are designed for use in classrooms throughout the school year, helping students prepare to take part in a culminating concert by their local orchestra at which they sing, play the recorder, or play the violin with the orchestra from their seats. Link Up curricula and program materials are now being shared at no cost with more than 90 orchestras across the country from Alaska to Florida, as well as in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Spain, and for the first time in Puerto Rico, serving approximately 380,000 students and teachers around the world. As expansion continues, the program's materials have been translated into several languages, including Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese.

The following national and international Link Up partners are new this season:

New West Symphony, CA
The Venice Symphony, FL
Mankato Symphony Orchestra, MN
Great Falls Symphony, MT
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, NC
Winston-Salem Symphony, NC
New Hampshire Music Festival, NH
Binghamton Philharmonic, NY
Central Ohio Symphony, OH
Springfield Symphony Orchestra, OH
Enid Symphony Orchestra, OK
The Philadelphia Orchestra, PA
Corporación de las Artes Musicales, Puerto Rico
Aiken Symphony Guild, SC
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, SD
Merida Orchestra, Spain
Virginia Symphony Orchestra, VA
Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island, WA

For a full list of National Link Up partners during the 2016-2017 season, please click here.

About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall's commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall's mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world's greatest artists, WMI's programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow's musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall's concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. More than half a million people each year engage in WMI's programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes 380,000 students and teachers worldwide who participate in WMI's Link Up music education program for students in grades 3 through 5, made possible through partnerships with over 90 orchestras in the US, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Education

Program Information
Tuesday, May 23 at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Wednesday, May 24 at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Thursday, May 25 at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE'S
Rossen Milanov, Conductor
Thomas Cabaniss, Host
The Rags and Roots Jazz Ensemble
·· Chris Washburne, Ensemble Leader and Trombone
·· Courtney Bryan, Piano
·· Evan Christopher, Clarinet and Saxophone
·· Alphonso Horne, Trumpet
·· Vince Cherico, Drums
·· Barry Stephenson, Bass
Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Lead and Jazz Vocals
Tali Rubinstein, Recorder
Christian Figueroa, Vocals
Shanna Lesniak, Vocals
Alee Reed, Dancer/Choreographer
Ray Davis, Dancer
Students of the Dancing Classrooms Youth Dance Company
Susan Fenichell, Director
Dan Scully, Visuals Designer
Mary Louise Geiger, Lighting Designer
Townsend Olcott, Production Stage Manager
Nevin Steinberg, Sound Designer
Victoria Bek, Wardrobe Designer

THOMAS CABANISS "Come to Play"
DVO?ÁK Slavonic Dance No. 1
ELLINGTON "Duke's Place"
GERSHWIN "I Got Rhythm"
GERSHWIN "I Got Rhythm" Variations
BERNSTEIN "Riffs" from Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs
ELLINGTON: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
COURTNEY BRYAN "Do Your Thing" (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
TRADITIONAL "When the Saints Go Marching In"

Lead support for Link Up is provided by the Fund II Foundation.

Additional funding for Link Up is provided by The Jean and Louise Dreyfus Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, and The Barker Welfare Foundation.

Link Up in New York City schools is made possible, in part, by an endowment gift from The Irene Diamond Fund.

Photo Credit: Chris Lee

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