“If you genuinely want neighbors who have never been to your house to drop by, you have to make a point of inviting them,” writes Anthony Tommasini in Friday’s (4/5) New York Times. “This simple act of courtesy is the mission of Phil the Hall, the New York Philharmonic’s new initiative to reach out to a wide array of dedicated New Yorkers, including emergency medical workers, public service professionals and volunteers, and welcome them to special programs offering $5 tickets and general-admission seating…. David Geffen Hall was packed for the first concert on Thursday…. Jaap van Zweden … led [a program that] combined works that showed the diversity of classical music…. The orchestra chose an ideal host for the occasion, Nia Imani Franklin, a former Miss New York and the current Miss America. A trained soprano, Ms. Franklin also has a master’s degree in musical composition and is using her platform to advocate for arts education…. It was a great idea to include premieres of shorts works by two participants in the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program: Paloma Dineli Chesky and Mack Scocca-Ho, who are both 11 years old.” Read Nia Imani Franklin’s article in Symphony magazine here.
Posted April 9, 2019
