Minot Symphony release
MINOT – The Minot Symphony Orchestra will present an afternoon family concert, Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks, on Saturday, February 3rd at 3:00 pm in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall located inside Old Main on the campus of Minot State University. This 1-hour performance is a perfect way to introduce new and young audience members to a symphony concert experience.
Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks is an engaging experience of listening and performing together. Hosts, Tim Baumann, Dr. Kateri Miller, and Colleen Schwan will guide attendees on a discovery of how the orchestra rocks through classic and familiar repertoire. Through this interactive performance, patrons are encouraged to participate by singing, clapping, and playing the recorder. Recorders are available for purchase at Eckroth Music or in the lobby before the performance. Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks is a national program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
“I had the opportunity to experience this program in Carnegie Hall in NYC last year. While some people may cringe at the thought of 950 students with recorders playing along with the symphony, I experienced 3,500 students with recorders, and it was simply amazing! You must see for yourself! I am so excited to bring this program to the Minot community, and the first to present it in the state of North Dakota.” explains Executive Director Ellen Fenner.
The featured soloist will be the winner of the annual MSO Young Artist Competition Winner, Gabe Sagini. Sagini will perform the first movement of Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 4.
Gabe Sagini is a junior at Red River High School in Grand Forks. He currently serves as concertmaster of the RRHS Concert Orchestra and Northern Valley Youth Orchestra Symphony, a regional high school full orchestra. In the past year, he received the Outstanding Performance Awards for violin solo and duet at the State Solo and Ensemble Festival, was concertmaster for Concordia Honors Orchestra, was chosen as an alternate for NYO2 (a national ensemble) and has been selected as concertmaster for UND Honors Orchestra. Gabe enjoys playing in quartets, often performs at weddings, and has been featured at many community affairs, most recently at a UND TEDx event. He looks forward to performing with the Minot Symphony Orchestra. Gabe was selected as the MSO’s annual high school soloist competition through a live audition. The annual competition is open to musicians in grades 9-12 living in North Dakota.
Pre-concert activities including an Instrument Petting Zoo and a pre-concert talk will begin at 2pm. Eckroth Music of Minot will be on site and will offer an Instrument Petting Zoo which will allow concertgoers of all ages the opportunity to try out a variety of string, woodwind, and brass instruments prior to the performance and again following the performance. Musicology, the study of music, 30-minute presentation will provide an engaging overview of the works being performed, the story behind the music, the composer, and historical context will be presented at 2pm by Tim Baumann, Camp Director of the International Music Camp and member of the symphony.
Tickets start at $25 for adults with senior and student discounts available. Children 12 and under will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult. Use code CHILD when booking tickets online. Live and livestream tickets are available at www.minotsymphony.com or through the box office at 701-858-4228.
The Minot Symphony Orchestra is one of over 100 national and international organizations chosen for this program and will be the first to present Link Up in North Dakota. Since 2003, Carnegie Hall has partnered with professional, community, and university orchestras across the US and around the world to support their existing education programs and strengthen their partnerships with local schools. In 2023-2024, Link Up will partner with sites in the US, as well as in Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Spain, Kenya, New Zealand, and Japan, to serve more than 300,000 students and teachers globally. Visit carnegiehall.org/LinkUp for a complete list of participants and further details.
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute produces an extraordinary range of music education and social impact programs each season that extend far outside the physical walls of the concert halls. These programs will reach over 800,000 people in New York City, across the US, and around the globe during the 2023-2024 season.
For over 35 years, Link Up has paired orchestras with students in grades 3–5 at schools in their local communities to explore orchestral repertoire and fundamental musical skills, including creative work and composition, through a hands-on music curriculum. Link Up addresses the urgent need for music instruction and resources by providing a free, high quality, year-long curriculum that teachers can implement, along with printed and digital classroom materials, online video and audio resources, and the professional development and support necessary to make the program an engaging experience for students.
The Minot Symphony Orchestra is a unique blend of student, community, and professional musicians from the Minot area. The symphony is directed by Maestro Efraín Amaya, Associate Professor of Performing Arts at Minot State University.
