In a Letter to the Editor in Tuesday’s (4/26) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Craig W. Johnson, executive director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, writes, “Bravo to actor Alec Baldwin for his message of ‘special hope to cultivate the young audiences’ when he was interviewed … in connection with his appearance with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for ‘Alec’s Playlist’ April 16 at Heinz Hall. In the Pittsburgh area, students themselves are already cultivating young audiences through their school music programs and so many other musical organizations that nurture and promote classical music, either on their own or together. An excellent example of this is the Youth Chamber Connection (YC2), which is a collaboration of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras and the City Music Center at Duquesne University, in frequent cooperation with a variety of other local arts organizations.… This year alone, more than 60 students are enrolled In the YC2 program, representing 15 different chamber music ensembles, and to date they have performed for more than 19,000 people (many of them young people) throughout the Pittsburgh area and beyond through their community outreach concerts. The cultivation of young audiences is alive and well in Pittsburgh!” Read Symphony magazine’s report on youth orchestras here.
Posted April 27, 2016
