Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to Perform Free Family Concerts
“Celebrate!” features student performers from Neighborhood House

MINNEAPOLIS, January 20, 2010 –The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director William Schrickel are pleased to announce Celebrate!, the MSO’s annual free one-hour family concerts.
 

Sunday, January 31, 3:00 pm
St. Matthew’s Catholic Church
490 Hall Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55107
651.224.9793
 

Sunday, February 7, 3:00 pm
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
1310 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN 55343
952.935.0111

Concertgoers of all ages will enjoy music composed for celebrations, including Felix Mendelssohn’s joyful Wedding March, Leo Arnaud’s thrilling Olympic Fanfare, and John Williams’ exciting finale from Star Wars. The program will also feature Charles Ives’ Variations on America, a work based on the 300-year-old tune that has been the national anthem of seven different countries, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich’s blazing Festive Overture, composed for a huge Soviet political celebration in 1954.

“Music is almost always an important part of every celebratory event, and this program is guaranteed to leave the listener in a state of excitement,” says William Schrickel, who is in his tenth season as the MSO’s conductor. “It’s a joy for me and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to perform such an inspiring program.
 

The January 31 concert will feature Neighborhood House student performers celebrating everyday heroes through music, photography and spoken word. Neighborhood House is a Twin Cities organization that promotes educational and leadership opportunities in diverse communities. The student performers have worked with choir director Patricia Lacy-Aiken and photographer Petronella Ytsma in preparation for their performance. St. Paul Assistant Police Chief Tom Smith, who grew up in the St. Matthew’s/West Side community and is an avid supporter of Neighborhood House, will narrate the concert.

“The MSO is exceptionally proud to be working with the students and staff of Neighborhood House in a performance that shares the students’ stories and salutes their personal heroes through singing and photography,” says Schrickel.
 

All MSO concerts are free of charge; free-will donations are accepted. No tickets or reservations are needed. The MSO will also collect food donations or cash for the food shelves at Neighborhood House (Jan. 31) and Intercongregational Community Association (Feb. 7).
 

For more information and directions to the performing venue, please visit www.msoa.net.
 

Celebrate! Program
William Schrickel, conductor
Student singers and photographers from the Neighborhood House (Jan. 31 performance only)
Tom Smith, narrator (Jan. 31 performance only)

This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Funds for this activity are also provided by the COMPAS Travelers Arts & Diversity Program.
 

About William Schrickel and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is celebrating William Schrickel’s 10th season as its Music Director. He was an Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra for the 2005-06 season and was the Music Director of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra from 2002-2008.

The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is in its 28th season. Founded in 1982 by Saint Olaf College graduates, the orchestra has grown from a small chamber ensemble to a full symphony orchestra, a magnet for some of the area’s finest professional and amateur instrumentalists. The primary goal of the orchestra is to reach all corners of the metropolitan area with a full spectrum of orchestral music and to encourage audiences to experience the excitement of live symphonic performances. Visit www.msoa.net for more information.
 

About Neighborhood House
Founded in 1897 on Saint Paul’s historic West Side, Neighborhood House provides basic needs assistance, educational opportunities and a youth leadership program dedicated to developing skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive in diverse communities. The Arts Access program at the Neighborhood House is focused on embedding the arts into the St. Paul West Side community, and to using the arts as a tool to engage people across cultures. Visit www.neighb.org for more information.