December 19, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Musicians of the Oregon Symphony’s string, brass and percussion sections will launch two days of collaborative residencies and present a second chamber music concert on Jan. 17 and 18 in Baker County, as part of the Symphony’s two-year-long Community Music Partnership (CMP) with the Baker City 5-J School District, Baker Community Concert Association and Crossroads Art Center. The concert, which features a string quartet of Symphony musicians, will be presented by the Baker Community Concert Association on Jan. 17 at the Nazarene Church, located at 1250 Hughes Lane in Baker City. In addition, over thirty residency activities will take place throughout the Baker School District over the course of the two days. Other CMP residencies, concerts and collaborative projects will continue in Baker County through May 2006. CMP funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and MetLife/ASOL.
“The partnership with the Oregon Symphony brings the finest musical talent and leadership in the Northwest to Baker City,” says Baker City School Superintendent Don Ulrey. “Teams from the Oregon Symphony, working in our schools, offer an exciting opportunity to educate our students.” Symphony percussionists Chris Perry, Tom Sessa, and Gordon Rencher will be in residence at several Baker City public schools on Jan. 17 and 18, as will Principal Trombone Aaron LaVere, Principal Tuba JáTtik Clark, trumpets Dave Bamonte and Warren Bartold and Principal Horn John Cox, while violinists Shin-young Kwon and Sarah Roth, violist Leah Ilem and cellist Una O’Riordan will offer a violin clinic and visit arts and science classes at Baker High School in addition to presenting a chamber music concert. “Every school in the district will benefit from these visits,” says Emilia Smith, Director of Education and Community Engagement. These residencies, customized to meet each individual school’s needs in an age-appropriate format, will include ensemble performances, “informances,” coachings, instrument clinics, master classes and “instrument petting zoos,” in which younger children will learn how individual instruments “work” through hands-on demonstrations.
Last month’s chamber music concert featuring the Oregon Symphony Brass Quintet was well-attended and enthusiastically welcomed by the community, says Dru Carpenter, President of the Baker Community Concert Association. “The Oregon Symphony Community Music Partnership is truly a wonderful gift to our Baker City 5-J School District and community,” she adds. The January concert, performed by Kwon, Roth, Ilem and O’Riordan, will feature a combination of solo repertoire and works for string quartet.
The CMP is the largest and most significant education initiative offered by the Symphony. It pairs students, educators and community members with the Symphony’s musicians and staff to strengthen existing programs while integrating new arts programming into the curriculum.
The string quartet chamber concert is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Nazarene Church in Baker City. Donations will be accepted at the door on the evening of the concert. Contact the Baker Community Concert Association at 541-523-3124 or email druc@bakervalley.net for further information. For more information about the Symphony’s Community Music Partnership, visit the Symphony’s website at www.orsymphony.org.
