COLLABORATION—Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on stage and Wilkinsburg community choir below. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
The decade-long partnership between the Wilkinsburg School District and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Community Engagement Concert for the Community has been beneficial for students, educators and musicians alike.
“We purchased new instruments, mouth pieces, music stands and supplies from the money raised from the program,” said Lois Clark, a music teacher at the school district’s Kelly Elementary School. “We sent students to band camp for a week. The program whet’s the appetite of students to play orchestral music. Now we have a full elementary school music program with a band director.”
Clark also said that thanks to the program, VH-1 Save the Music Program heard about the school and provided the Wilkinsburg school district with a $90,000 grant in 2008 and a $30,000 grant last year to extend the music program by starting a theater program.
Over $56,000 has been raised in Wilkinsburg through the PSO’s Community Engagement Concerts over the past ten years. All proceeds from these concerts in Wilkinsburg benefit the school district’s music programs.
“I don’t think the music program would still be in existence if we didn’t have this collaboration,” Clark said. “Now we have a bond that no one can sever. It’s not that we depend on them, we feel very close to them.”
To commemorate the special relationship, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra held its tenth annual Community Engagement Concert “A Celebration of Music and Community” at the Wilkinsburg High School auditorium May 24.
“We have had all 10 concerts at the High School. It’s a really excellent auditorium with old architecture and great acoustics,” said Gloria Mau, director of education and community programs for the PSO. “Most of our audience for this concert will be students, staff, teachers, the community supporters.”
For the first time, PSO resident conductor Lawrence Loh led the symphony, vocalist Katy Williams, violinist Michael Ferri and the Wilkinsburg Community Choir in a program that featured the works of Irving Berlin, Johannes Brahms, Aaron Copeland, Maurice Ravel and Antonio Vivaldi. The program will feature a special tribute to the armed forces.
“Ten years ago when we started this program, we were looking to focus much more on lower-income areas around the city and we wanted to build relationships and we want to build up music education and bring pride back around the music program,” said Suzanne Perrino, senior vice president of education and strategic implementation at PSO. “The community engagement program is important for K-12 students because the arts helps with creativity and helps with any other curriculum and it inspires kids to stay in school. Kids succeed more and become more successful.”
In addition to the “Celebration of Music and Community” concert, PSO musicians visit various Wilkinsburg schools to provide demonstrations and Wilkinsburg community representatives participate regularly with the PSO’s Community Engagement Committee.
“This brings a positive light to Wilkinsburg to bring the PSO to their backyard. When the symphony comes the people of Wilkinsburg have something special,” Perrino said.
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