Symphony Musicians to Mentor UNO Students

OMAHA - Musicians from the Omaha Symphony will pair up with University of Nebraska at Omaha orchestra students for the first time in the symphony’s 95-year history on Saturday, October 17, as part of the symphony’s Music Mentors education outreach program.

Led by Omaha Symphony Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson, the symphony will bring 41 musicians from every section of the orchestra to work with 55 student members of UNO’s Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra on two selections: Mussorgsky’s "Pictures at an Exhibition," arranged by Ravel, and Mozart’s "Overture to 'The Magic Flute'."

Omaha Symphony musicians will work with the UNO students from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. Media is invited to attend, but must contact the Omaha Symphony or UNO prior to their arrival.

The Omaha Symphony’s Music Mentors program reaches approximately 2,000 students in about 30 school and youth orchestras throughout Nebraska every year. Custom-created for each ensemble, these side-by-side rehearsals provide an environment in which students and professional musicians not only make music together, but also engage in individual discussions about technique and musicianship. This is the first time the Omaha Symphony has collaborated with UNO on a Music Mentors event.

“This new event is borne out of a continued effort from both the Music Faculty of UNO and the Omaha Symphony to expand upon our relationship and provide services and access to our musicians – and our concerts— for the music students of UNO,” said T. Adam Goos, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement for the Omaha Symphony. “The entire partnership includes visits by our conductors and guest artists to music classes, as well as free and reduced-price tickets to Omaha Symphony performances. The hope is that the collaboration will continue to grow and develop."

"Pictures at an Exhibition" and "Overture to 'The Magic Flute'" will be performed by the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra at a December concert. Goos said the classroom repertoire used in Music Mentors events are used to discuss technique and the skills necessary to make music, allowing the students and mentors to focus on musicianship.

The Omaha Symphony will perform "Pictures at an Exhibition" in January as part of the symphony’s two-night Russian Music Festival.

The Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Prof. Barry Ford, is a 70-member orchestra comprised of student and community players. In order to provide a rich variety of musical experiences, the orchestra presents a minimum of two concerts each semester covering a wide range of repertoire from the Baroque era to the present and offers a challenging and rewarding symphonic experience. Several guest artists from the Omaha Symphony and UNO Music Faculty have performed as soloists with HPO. Auditions are held each fall and community members are invited to audition.

For more information, contact Stephanie Ludwig, Omaha Symphony Public Relations Manager, at 402.661.8587 or Sam Petto, UNO Media Relations Coordinator, at 402.554.2704.

Related Links
UNO Orchestras
Strauss Performing Arts Center Schedule
College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media



About the Omaha Symphony
The Omaha Symphony is a non-profit organization that presents more than 100 live orchestral performances from September through June. In addition to MasterWorks, Symphony Pops, Symphony Rocks, Movie Music, Symphony Joslyn, and Family series concerts, the Omaha Symphony’s nationally recognized education programs touch the lives of nearly 30,000 schoolchildren each year. For tickets or information regarding the Omaha Symphony, call 402.345.0606 or visit omahasymphony.org.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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