Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season FINAL_BSO_Overture_May_June | Page 6

in
B A LT I M O R E S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A
NEWS OF NOTE
BSO OrchKids students and staff after their Coolidge
Auditorium concert with BSO President Peter Kjome,
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and OrchKids founding
donors Rheda Becker and Bob Meyerhoff.
HITTING THE BOOKS
OrchKids partners with Library of Congress
for Leonard Bernstein project
OrchKids getting things started at the Library of Congress with
a pop-up concert in the lobby.
Left: Anne McLean, the Library’s Senior Producer for Concerts and
Special Projects, examines a Bernstein manuscript with OrchKids
student Keith and Band Director Jared Perry. Right: Librarian of Congress
Dr. Carla Hayden opens the April 7 concert in the Coolidge Auditorium.
4
A
s part of its 10 th -anniversary celebration, the BSO’s
OrchKids program partnered with the Library of Congress
this spring for an inventive project that brings hands-
on learning to music performance and education. In
January, students and staff traveled to Washington,
D.C., where they explored the Library’s Leonard Bernstein collection.
After a surprise meeting with Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden,
the OrchKids had a chance to pour over an abundance of items related
to Bernstein including original manuscripts, letters from BSO Music
Director Marin Alsop and even the maestro’s old license plates!
“It’s eye opening,” said one student who has been in the program
since it began in 2008. “I’m starting to get to know him as a regular
person and not just a famous composer.”
Using their visit and their time with Bernstein’s possessions as
inspiration, the students then had two months to work on an original
composition. They returned to the Library of Congress on April 7
to perform their new work in a concert at the Coolidge Auditorium.