“As the music of Morton Gould’s lighthearted variation on ‘Yankee Doodle’ pranced from instrument to instrument, Mikala Schnering and hundreds of other students stared at the stage in rapt attention,” writes Erik Hogstrom in Friday’s (10/18) Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA). “The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra performed three concerts for area fifth graders Thursday … as part of the organization’s annual Arts Trek series…. ‘People are coming from as far away as Viroqua and Boscobel in Wisconsin, and we have students from [an hour] away,’ said Madalyn Mackey, director of education for Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. ‘The reach of these concerts continues to grow every year.’ Music Director William Intriligator introduced the students to orchestral versions of songs linked to America’s history. ‘We pick music specifically to align with some of the things they’re learning in their curriculum at school,’ Mackey said. ‘Specifically, we outline different aspects of the Constitution.’ [During] ‘My Shot,’ from the Broadway musical ‘Hamilton,’ performed with orchestral backing … students … sang along…. Symphony violinist Barb Ehlers, of Lake City, Minn., said, ‘You get to see the kids so excited…. They realize that if they come to the symphony, you can hear all kinds of music.’ ”
Posted October 23, 2019
