Sarasota Orchestra Receives Grant from the Woman's Exchange

The Sarasota Orchestra received a $15,000 grant from the Woman's Exchange for the 2017 Young Person's Concerts.

Joseph McKenna, President/CEO of the Sarasota Orchestra states, "The Sarasota Orchestra is appreciative of the continued support from the Woman's Exchange and their commitment to the arts in Sarasota."

Each autumn, professionally-crafted curriculum packets are developed and distributed to over 60 public, private and home school organizations in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Nearly 10,000 fourth and fifth graders are then invited to a special performance at either the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall or the North Port Performing Arts Center.

For the 2017-2018 season, Andrew Lane, Principal Pops Conductor, will conduct the Young Person's Concerts, featuring Gregory Smith's "The Animated Orchestra" with the composer narrating the animated performance with the Sarasota Orchestra. This piece colorfully illustrates the instruments and how they are played. Then, Maestro Lane and the Orchestra will take the audience on an adventure with Dukas' "Sorcerer's Apprentice" made famous by Disney's movie "Fantasia". Students will enjoy the familiar "Star Wars Main Theme" by John Williams to close the concert.

The curriculum packets distributed to the schools include detailed, year-long lesson plans with information on the composers, the titles of their works and other vocabulary relating to the concerts. A CD containing the music and an interactive, teaching DVD is provided for each classroom. The curriculum guides ensure that teachers are able to prepare students for a full concert experience, weaving music education and instrumental performance into their regularly scheduled lesson plans.

The Sarasota Orchestra ensures that all fourth and fifth graders in Sarasota and Manatee Counties have the opportunity to experience world-class orchestral music.

The Woman's Exchange Inc. of Sarasota is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization with a central purpose of supporting and enriching a variety of programs for local cultural organizations. Funds for this purpose are realized through a consignment operation in which merchandise is accepted either for donation or for consignment to be sold in its store. Grants and scholarships derived from the earnings of this store are used to enrich and strengthen arts-related programs and to encourage creativity in organizations and individuals throughout the community. sarasotawex.com

For more than 65 years, the Sarasota Orchestra has been engaging music lovers from around the region, and visitors from around the world. The Orchestra performs more than 125 classical, Pops, education and community engagement concerts each year, and thrives as the oldest continuing orchestra in the state of Florida. Youth programs provide concert experiences for about 10,000 students per year, and includes an extensive youth orchestra program of seven ensembles and about 350 students. The Sarasota Music Festival is a world-renowned performance and teaching festival that attract young musicians and faculty from across the globe each June. For further information, visit www.sarasotaorchestra.org.

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