Strathmore Hosts Fifth Graders (Video)

More than 11,000 fifth grade students from Montgomery County Public Schools will experience classical music when the Music Center at Strathmore hosts the annual Strathmore Student Concerts on October 15-18, 2012. Students fill the grand 2,000-seat concert hall in droves seven times over four consecutive days for this Strathmore tradition, a hallmark of the arts center’s community outreach initiatives.

Students will be treated to a redesigned concert experience for 2012. The concerts by the National Philharmonic, led by Music Director & Conductor Piotr Gajewski, include music by composers Benjamin Britten (Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra) and Astor Piazzolla (Oblivion), as well as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, a thrilling finale that includes spectacular cannon fire effects and student participation.

With fast-paced explanations of the works supported by imagery on a large screen above the stage, the concerts reinforce musical concepts students are learning in school. In addition to adapting to curricular goals, the repertoire also evolved to reflect changing demographics in Montgomery County with the addition of Piazzola’s tango, Oblivion. Students have been learning about the musical selections prior to attending the concerts.

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