“A 100-year-old man is proving age is just a number,” writes Luli Ortiz on Thursday (3/21) at television station CBS12 (West Palm Beach, Florida). “Melvin Lazerick claims he is no musician, but is part of a 70-piece symphony orchestra. He is a proud member of Florida Intergenerational Orchestra, a group that aims to bridge the generation gap with music, with players spanning the ages from nine to 100…. The father of two was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1918. He didn’t start playing an instrument until he was 98 years old. Lazerick began with the triangle, and now he plays the wind chimes and tambourine…. ‘I watch these kids [in the orchestra], and they really know what they’re doing,’ he said…. He says working together with the children helps him remember what he did for fun when he was their age, like baseball and [telling] jokes…. Clearly, he still has his sense of humor…. Lazerick hopes to continue to be a positive role model for the younger generation.” The Florida Intergenerational Orchestra’s most recent performance was March 24 in Boca Raton. Read Symphony magazine’s article about intergenerational orchestras here.
Posted March 26, 2019
