Overture Magazine - 2018-19 Season FINAL_BSO_Overture_May_June | Page 6

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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
ORCHKIDS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
F
OrchKids partners with Library of Congress to study early jazz pianists
or the second year in a row, OrchKids has had
the opportunity to meet with musicologists and
explore the resources of the Library of Congress’
Music Division Reading Room — home to
musical scores, photos, letters and insightful
materials — for a unique creative and academic project. Last
year, as part of their 10 th -anniversary celebration, OrchKids
studied the collection of Leonard Bernstein during what
was the 100 th anniversary of his birth. This year, students
celebrated the lives of legendary early jazz pianists Scott
Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton.
“Working with the BSO’s OrchKids has been extremely
rewarding. We are excited about their enthusiastic response to
engaging with the Library’s extraordinary jazz collections,” said
Susan H. Vita, Chief of the Library’s Music Division.
On April 13, the students returned to the Library’s
Coolidge Auditorium with BSO Music Director Marin
Alsop for performances inspired by their findings. The
concert included the OrchKids String Ensemble led by
4
Marin Alsop and a tribute to Jelly Roll
OrchKids students
Morton by the OrchKids Jazz Band.
perform an original
composition at
Select members from both ensembles
the Library of
then came together to perform an original
Congress in April.
composition inspired by Scott Joplin’s
Treemonisha, an opera that celebrates African-American
culture. Carmen Balthrop, who happens to be OrchKids
Senior Site Manager Camille Delaney-McNeil’s mother,
performed the title role in Treemonisha on Broadway and
joined OrchKids at the Library of Congress for a performance
of Treemonisha’s “Slow Drag.” The OrchKids Bucket Band and
OrchKids Brass Band also performed pop-up concerts on the
steps of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
“We were thrilled to work with the Library of Congress
again this year on a creative composition project,” said
OrchKids Executive Director Raquel Whiting Gilmer. “The
Library is such an amazing resource for the students, and it’s
very exciting that they had this opportunity to perform with
Music Director Marin Alsop in the Coolidge Auditorium.”