Can the Kmart Symphony Orchestra be far behind? If only.
It's heart-stirring news that the Sony Philharmonic Orchestra, an amateur orchestra of Sony employees and their families, will make its Carnegie Hall debut in October. Yo-Yo Ma is soloist, and Daniel Harding will conduct.
No irony is intended here. The fact that there are enough competent instrumentalists in any corporation to make up an orchestra is a wonderful thing. Amateur musicians are a critical part of the arts pyramid. For one thing, they make the best listeners at professional orchestra concerts.
And bravo to Sony chairman Howard Stringer (pictured) for this statement: ``Bringing the Sony Orchestra to New York to perform on the main stage at Carnegie Hall has been a 10-year dream of mine,'' he said. ``When I first heard them play, I was tremendously impressed by the level of performance they have been able to achieve.''
How many CEOs do you know are harboring 10-year dreams involving symphonic music?
The concert will benefit the Harlem School of the Arts, Midori & Friends and the arts education program of the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
And now, we're eager to hear what Target can do with a Schubert Mass, and whether Whole Foods is all talk on that Mahler cycle they've been hinting at for years.
Comments (1)
do you know that the Gewandhaus Orchestra sponsors what they call "The Management Symphony" each spring...with the major conductor of the orchestra (formerly Masur, Blomstedt and now Chailly) conducting one large work -in rehearsaql and public performance. The orchestra consists of non-music pofessionals (teachers, scientists, research persons, government people, etc.) who have had good training in music.
They pay a high fee (not just for the weekend of rehearsals and the concert) but so that part of the fee covers some contribution to the orchestra (last year a Tuba and a good Violin were purchased). Some return year after year (the former mayor of Leipzig is a real veteran in the Viola section) and many look forward to it! The results last year, which I heard (Beethoven Symphony no. 4) were quite good after the sectional rehearsals, the full rehearsals, and the final concert.
Posted by ken roberts | April 9, 2008 6:20 PM
Posted on April 9, 2008 18:20