Philadelphia students perform virtual music concert

Students and teachers at the Philadelphia School District had to get creative to continue musical education this summer. Teachers from the district, as well as members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, convened about 90 middle and high school students for two weeks on Zoom as part of the All City Orchestra Summer Academy. In its second year, the academy is a collaboration among the School District of Philadelphia, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Project 440. According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the academy is designed to help students grow not just musically but also socially and emotionally. In addition to increasing performance skills, the students also learned to express their own musical voice through composition. The program is free to all participating students.

For the grand finale, a virtual concert was held, with each student’s part recorded from his or her home and synched together under the prerecorded video direction of Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The students performed the “Farandole” movement from Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite which was streamed on the Mann Center Facebook page.