Releases

NSO seeks prodigies for
January concert

Posted on 06/28/2009

See the story in its original location:
http://www.thehour.com/story/471449/

NORWALK

By A.J. O'CONNELL

Hour Staff Writer

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is looking for a few young geniuses.

The NSO is searching for students to be featured in its annual prodigy concert next winter. It is the fourth time the NSO has done the program.

"We're looking for students that are really above the norm. We're looking for kids who have that special excitement," said Diane Wittry, the orchestra's conductor and musical director. "When we use the term 'prodigy' we aren't using it lightly."

Students are asked to submit tapes of themselves performing to the NSO by Sept. 25. Once identified, the young prodigies will perform in a symphonic concert with the professional members of the Norwalk Symphony.

The prodigy concert on Jan. 30, 2010, "A Concert of Firsts -- the Prodigy Concert," will be part of the symphony's normal Saturday night subscription series. The program typically includes a chamber music spotlight in which the top one or two students will be invited to join members of the orchestra in a short chamber music piece.

The NSO only selects a few youngsters for the show, usually keeping the age of those students around 11 or 12, although the youngest prodigy in years past was a 9-year-old girl from Rhode Island, said Wittry. The auditions for the January program are advertised throughout the tri-state region, and 20 to 30 applications are usually received.

A fraction of those are selected, said Wittry.

"We will select three or four. We really like to be selective," she said.

This program, she added, is much more demanding than some of the NSO's other youth-oriented programs. It's designed, said Wittry, to give the children a taste of life as a concert musician.

The students in the prodigy concert, she said, are expected to behave like the grown musicians in the NSO. Like the professional musicians, the children are sent the music beforehand and expected to learn it on their own. They are also expected to be available for each rehearsal, and the rehearsals are not shortened for them.

"We have 11 and 12-year-olds sitting through three and four hour rehearsals," said Wittry. "We really treat the children as if they were professional musicians."

Wittry says that in years past, the students have risen to the challenges of the concert.

"We had one darling 12-year-old from Westport (in a rehearsal) and you could see he was so hyper -- but he made it," she laughed. "When we took a break he sighed and said 'Thank god.'"

For more information, visit http://www.norwalksymphony.org or call Jane Shelly at 847-8844.

BROADWAY DIVAS HEADLINE SPECIAL BENEFIT CONCERT FOR NORWALK SYMPHONY ON APRIL 18

About the Divas
Broadway Diva Debbie Gravitte has had a varied career on the Broadway Stage as well as the Symphony Hall and points between. She won the prestigious Tony Award for Jerome Robin’s Broadway. She was in the original cast of They’re Playing Our Song, she appeared in Perfectly Frank, Blues in the Night, Isn’t Broadway Grand, Zorba, Chicago, and Les Miserables. She has also appeared in productions of The Boys from Syracuse, Tenderloin, and Carnival at New York’s City Center.
Anne Ronalfsson has a distinguished career not only in the theater but also in recording studios, intimate cabaret spaces, and concert halls throughout the world. She recently completed a two-year run in Phantom of the Opera. She has performed in Victor/Victoria, The Dead, Les Miserables, Cyrano-The Musical, The Secret Garden, and Aspects of Love. She has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall (with Tenor Jose Carreras), The Kennedy Center, Town Hall, the Concertgebau in Amsterdam, The National Theater in Iceland, Rainbow and Stars, The Russian Tea Room, Bay Street Theater, The Pump Room, The Cinderella, The 92nd St. Y, and with The National Symphony, The Boston Pops, The Jerusalem Symphony, The Orchestra of St. Lukas, The National Symphony of Canada, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Cincinnati Pops, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, The Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Indianapolis, Toronto, Milwaukee, Utah, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Columbus, San Diego, Colorado, Minnesota, and St. Louis, among many others.
Jan Horvath is best known from her work on Broadway and in the Symphonic Orchestra world as a guest soloist. She appeared in five Broadway shows including the original companies of The Phantom of the Opera, Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity and The Three Penny Opera starring Sting. Jan toured in Lord Lloyd Webber's CATS and performed in The Bernstein Mass at the Vatican and Carnegie Hall. Off-Broadway, she worked with Yoko Ono in her musical New York Rock and she has been in Chess, Someone Else’s Story, Jacques Bret is..., Mar ekes Vita, South Pacific and the Last 5 Years.

Upcoming concerts
The 08-09 season, "Hear the World, One Country at a Time," has focused on the music of a different nation at each concert. The Norwalk Symphony supplements its own superb playing with soloists drawn from among the best talent in the world.
The remaining 08-09 season includes:
§ "La Dolce Vita: A Night at the Opera" at 8:00 PM on Saturday, May 16 featuring arias and solos from some of the best loved Italian operas including The Barber of Seville (Rossini), Torandot and La Boheme (Puccini) Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni), La Traviata and Aida (Verdi) and many others.
§ "Opera for All" a family concert at 3:00 PM on Sunday, May 17 which is geared for the young and young at heart. Season sponsors include Poke, Inc., The Hilton Garden Inn, and the Connecticut Commission for Arts and Tourism. For more information on tickets, subscriptions or sponsorships, call 203-847-8844 or visit www.norwalksymphony.org.About The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra
The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional orchestra under the leadership of Conductor, Diane Witty. Approximately 70% of our musicians live and work in Fairfield County. Many of the world's greatest emerging musicians have performed with the Orchestra and its mission of hosting talented young musicians continues today. The NSO performs in the acoustically renowned Norwalk Concert Hall at City Hall. For information: 203-847-8844 or www.norwalksymphony.org.

###

Keep Our Symphony
and Local Arts Alive

Last Saturday evening, I attended the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra concert Vive La France with piano soloist Gary Graffman. The evening was uplifting and exhilarating, and it brought home to me how important the Norwalk Symphony is to the City of Norwalk and, indeed, how important the arts are to our state.

The evening was also the culmination of the Norwalk Symphony’s participation in a nationwide food drive sponsored by the League of American Orchestras—the concert hall lobby was deluged by donations of nonperishable items brought by musicians, board members, concert goers and members of our community. Local organizations including the Norwalk Emergency Shelter, the Christian Community Action and the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County will receive the food that was collected.

Inside the concert hall, conductor Diane Wittry took us on a journey to France, leading the orchestra through the intimate music of Debussy, Ravel and Cesar Franck. She introduced us to the legendary pianist Gary Graffman who, like the pianist who commissioned the Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, suffered the loss of the use of his right hand and yet has continued his career by brilliantly performing this wonderful work. The evening ended with the rousing encore of the Can-Can which brought us all to our feet!

The Norwalk Symphony has been a vital part of our community for sixty-nine years, and I look forward to celebrating its seventieth milestone next season. Like all of us, the Norwalk symphony is having its share of financial difficulties, but this concert points out how important the survival of the state’s arts organizations and, in particular, the Norwalk symphony is.

Research that tell us that the arts support more than 160,000 jobs in our state; the arts have an important economic impact on our state. Having a thriving arts community tells the world that our state is a wonderful place to live, to work, to visit, to start a business and to make a life. But in order to have a thriving arts community, we need to support it. Ticket sales alone do not provide the financial base needed to keep the Norwalk Symphony and the arts alive. Many individual donors supporting the symphony at the level they can best afford will ensure that we have this wonderful institution for years to come.

I invite you to come and see for yourselves how wonderful our own symphony is. For the price of parking in New York City, you can stay in your own town and enjoy music making at the highest level.
On April 18, the Norwalk Symphony will host the Three Broadway Divas in a benefit concert. The concert tickets are priced at the regular levels, with the opportunity to purchase tickets to a pre-concert gala. There will be a live and silent auction as well.

On May 16, the season will close with a celebration of Italian Grand Opera entitled La Dolce Vita. And on Sunday May 17, at 3:00 p.m. the Norwalk Symphony will present its second annual Family Concert. Opera for All will explore the best loved stories of Italian Opera in a one-hour program, complete with full orchestra, soloists and the Fairfield County Choral. Diane Wittry will lead this exciting, multimedia program designed to inspire, educate and entertain children of all ages.

I hope you will join me at the symphony and do your part to keep the Norwalk Symphony and all of the arts thriving in our city and state.

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NSO & Newman's Own

By Carol King
Posted: 02/17/2009 05:51:17 PM EST

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra (NSO) -- in tandem with Newman's Own Foundation of Westport -- is making a request for public donations to help keep the 70-year-old orchestra on its feet.

Because of the current economic climate and a slow-down in corporate funding, the symphony is suffering financially, reports Westport resident Allen Raymond, who is the president of the NSO. "The problems the NSO is facing are almost insurmountable," he said. "We are striving to raise $50,000 by March 1."

Newman's Own Foundation has shown its support for the orchestra with a $25,000 challenge grant to help NSO play out its current season.

"Our idea was to encourage others to step up and also make donations to the orchestra," said Pamela Papay, managing director of grants for Newman's Own Foundation. "We want the orchestra to build up its foundation and we encourage others to reach out and lend a helping hand.

"The NSO has been around for a very long time and it's a beloved and well-respected resource," she added. "We want to help them through these lean times and we are hoping others will step in and show their support."

The symphony serves the community as an integral educational tool, points out Jane Shelly, NSO director.

"We fill two very important functions: We provide high-class performances of classical music and we have a Not Just for Kids (NJFK) program that exposes children to concert hall music, classical musicians and musical instruments," she told the Westport News.

As part of the NJFK program, ensembles from the orchestra perform at schools and local libraries as well as provide a "petting zoo" for musical instruments, Shelly said.

"The Not Just for Kids programs are very interactive and introduce children to classical music and to the varieties of instruments that are used in an orchestra. Children get a taste of music from strings, wind, percussion and brass instruments," she said.

The NSO children's events always attract an interested audience, reports Les Kozerowitz, director of the Norwalk Public Library.

"We are delighted to have programs such as this that we can offer to children," he said. "The attendance is always good and there is definitely an interest in music for kids."

It would be a tremendous loss for the community if the NSO is unable to weather the current financial storm, noted Dr. Richard Epstein, of Westport, who has been personally involved with the orchestra's growth for more than 40 years.

"I have played with the NSO, first as a volunteer and more recently as a paid professional, and have served as an officer on the board through earlier seasons of financial hardship," he said. "During this time, the orchestra has gained a national reputation as one of the finest small orchestras in the nation, but one that has always landed on its feet, while many similar groups have been forced to fold. Our conductor, our level of performance and our programming are attracting renown throughout the orchestral community, and the response of our audiences proves that at each concert.

"But our success at gaining financial patronship has never kept pace with our artistic growth," he added. "Perhaps that is our fault, but I hope that the Newman Challenge will awaken our community to our needs in this time when the arts are imperiled, and people will see the true value available right around the corner. We have exciting plans for our future."

Upcoming events at the NSO include "Viva La France," which will be performed Saturday, March 28, at the Norwalk Concert Hall. Celebrated pianist Gary Graffman will play the Ravel Concerto for Left Hand.

Graffman has been a major figure in the music world since winning the prestigious Leventritt Award in 1949. For the next three decades he toured almost continuously, playing the most demanding works in the piano literature both in recital and with the world's great orchestras.

Three Broadway Divas, comprised of Tony-caliber talents, are scheduled to perform during a fund-raiser on April 18 that will also include an auction.

"We are bound and determined to survive," said Shelly. "Arts-related organizations have a positive impact on the communities they serve. When people attend concerts, there is a ripple affect in the community. Arts events generate spending. We consider ourselves to be a focal point for the community and we have a plan in place, but we are being realistic. We need to get the word out that we need support."

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is an important cultural organization that brings life to the community, agrees Phil Nourie, an NSO board member from Westport.

"Music has always uplifted its communities. It's a great venue for entertainment and for educating children about the appeal of playing an instrument," he said. "The NSO provides great cultural opportunities. We are hoping members of the community will recognize how much their support can mean."

The demise of the NSO would be the loss of a crown jewel, reasoned Lee Greenberg, a Westport resident who has been on the NSO board for a decade.

"This is an orchestra that performs beautiful music in a beautiful concert hall that is so close to home," she said. "The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is a local treasure that we cannot abandon. If everyone who reads this article donates $10 to $25, it would have a significant impact on the future of the orchestra and its ability to continue providing wonderful cultural contributions to this community."

The NSO serves the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, Weston and Wilton. For more information, visit www.norwalksymphony .org, e-mail infor@norwalk symphony.org or call 847-8844.

Contributions can be made to the NSO at 1 Park St., Norwalk, CT 06851.

# # #

2008-2009 Season Kick-Off

On Sunday, September 14, the Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum and the Norwalk Symphony will collaborate in a season opening celebration to benefit both organizations.  Patrons of the Symphony and Members of the Mansion as well the public are invited to come to the Mansion for an afternoon of music, wine and cheese reception and a tour of the museum.  At 3:15, the doors of the mansion will be opened for tours, at 4:15 wine and hors d?oeuvres will be served and the afternoon will culminate with a performance at 5:00 by the Norwalk Symphony Flute Quartet (flute, violin, viola, cello).  Tickets for this special event are $25 and can be purchased by calling the Symphony office at 203-847-8844 or the Mansion at 203-838-9799.

The appearance of the Flute Quartet is sponsored by POKO, Inc. as part of the "POKO - Norwalk Symphony Community Performance Fund".  Established in the spring of 2008, the fund is designed to help the NSO increase its involvement in the civic life of the City of Norwalk by underwriting performances of Symphony chamber groups in the community.

"This collaboration is a celebration of the arts in the City of Norwalk," says Jane Shelly, Executive Director of the Symphony, "and we hope to show how important the arts are to the cultural, economic and civic life of the City." 

Founded in 1939, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra has been providing the greater Norwalk community with high quality orchestral music performances for over 68 years.  Born out of a love for music shared by a small group of dedicated amateurs, the Symphony has evolved into a fully professional ensemble performing five concerts a year in the charming Norwalk Concert Hall, a WPA-era auditorium renowned for its acoustic splendor.  In addition to its concert season, the Symphony provides a series of chamber music performances for families in partnership with local libraries, and its musicians can regularly be found performing at events for the city of Norwalk and throughout the region.  Now in her sixth season, Music Director Diane Wittry continues to inspire audiences with her innovative programming and keen eye for emerging talent.