In Monday’s (2/17) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin reports on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent “play-in” led by conductor Vladimir Jurowski. “On this icy Saturday evening, about six dozen amateurs have gathered in the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza for the first of this season’s ‘play-ins,’ traversing repertoire alongside a sprinkling of Philadelphia Orchestra members. This pre-concert play-in, for an oversized woodwind choir, invited area flutists, oboists, clarinetists, hornists, and bassoonists to register, download sheet music, practice, then assemble en masse for single movements from the Strauss [Serenade for Winds], Haydn’s Divertimento No. 1 in B-flat Major, and Gounod’s ‘Petite Symphonie.’ … The goal of the play-in—and of three more this season—is to create intimate points of contact between the orchestra and its fans.… Lately, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has invited amateurs to play side by side with the entire orchestra—something that appeals to the organizer of Saturday’s play-in, Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Gloria dePasquale. ‘I always hear from really dedicated orchestra subscribers that they played an instrument, so this is a way to get involved,’ she said. ‘For these people to have 15 minutes playing with Jurowski, that is really powerful. It is something that will stay with them forever.’ “
Posted February 19, 2014
