2012-336 Arts - NC Symphony $1,500

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Arts Program Application Narrative North Carolina Symphony The North Carolina Symphony respectfully requests a$1,500 grant from the Orange County Arts Commission in support of our Fall 2012 music education program.Specifically,this grant will underwrite the direct costs of presenting education concerts with the full-orchestra at Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall in Fall 2012 for approximately 1,800 elementary students from Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. 1. Organizational Profile-a brief overview your organization's mission and history The North Carolina Symphony's mission is to be North Carolina's state orchestra, an orchestra achieving the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embracing its dual legacies of statewide service and music education. Founded in 1932 under the direction of Pulitzer Traveling Fellow Lamar Stringfield,the North Carolina Symphony has set itself apart from other orchestras over the past eighty years through its commitment to statewide service and dedication to the musical education of North Carolina's school children. Based in Raleigh's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts,the Symphony is a vital and honored component of North Carolina's cultural life.The orchestra's sixty-eight musicians travel approximately 12,000 miles each year throughout the state, reaching 250,000 people. Perhaps the most important population the North Carolina Symphony serves is the approximately 50,000 students who participate in the Symphony's extensive music education program each year. Over 40 of the orchestra's 175 annual concerts are performed for free for North Carolina school children as part of the arts education curriculum in public schools. In addition to the Symphony's signature education concerts,the orchestra presents numerous other educational opportunities, including professional development workshops for teachers,a pre-concert lecture series, masterclasses with guest artists, a youth concerto competition,and free private music lessons for economically disadvantaged students.The North Carolina Symphony recognizes the profound impact music has on people's lives and believes its education programs provide a critical service to our community. 2.Current Programs and Services Evening Concerts—The Symphony's 37-week season is comprised of diverse series and performances, including its ever-popular classical music series,a pops series,a series of concerts designed specifically for young people and families,and an outdoor summer concert series. In addition to performing in Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall,the orchestra's home venue,the Symphony has subscription series in the following communities across the state:Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern,Southern Pines,and Wilmington.Throughout the 2011-12 season,the orchestra performed nine concerts in Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall on the campus of UNC. Education Concerts—Education concerts performed by the full-orchestra have been a central part of the North Carolina Symphony's mission since the program began more than 60 years ago.The concerts are designed to introduce young people to orchestral music in a fun and engaging way and supplement the arts education curriculum in public schools. Ensembles in the Schools—Small ensembles of North Carolina Symphony musicians(a string quartet or wind quintet)teach students about the fundamentals of music in an interactive classroom setting.The ensembles perform a selection of chamber works and engage the students in a lesson about the important elements of each piece.Symphony members are able to interact with students one-on-one and share their personal stories as musicians.The program is designed for students in grades K-12. 1