(PRINCETON, NJ) --The Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s PSO BRAVO! Listen Up! Exhibition featuring student artwork and creative writing in response to Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony opens Monday, March 16, at 4 pm at the Arts Council of Princeton. Participating middle school students will be on hand to discuss their works and share their opinions on the music of Beethoven.
Students attended the live performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 at the PSO’s sold-out January Classical Series concert at Richardson Auditorium. They sat in on guest conductor Daniel Boico’s pre-concert talk and joined him onstage for a photo shoot following the concert.
Thirty-five students from area middle schools make up this season’s Listen Up! artists: John Witherspoon Middle School - Emily Bigioni, Marcelino Guevera, Ada Miller, Molly Trueman, Maya Pophristic; Princeton Charter School - Saumya Malik, Zoe O'Beirne, Alex Park, Jacob Wu, Jonathan Yue; Montgomery Upper Middle School - Jenny Chen, Deena Jahama, Kristina Malinowski, Sarah O'Shea, Upekha Samarasekera, Kelly Yeung; Montgomery Lower Middle School - Lauren Bass, Gavin Lin, Tina Yao; Timberlane Middle School - Nora Ban, Emily Carleton, Eva Nee, Grace Warznak, Sarah Yu; The Cambridge School - Vanessa Mellis; The Hun School - Ashleigh Patasnick, Sophia Phelan; Stuart Country Day School - Shelby Bailey-Williams, Emma Claisse, Kira Crutcher, Manya Kaushik, Sarah McLaughlin, Avelyn Simons; St. Paul’s School - Molly Hart, and Zachary Klein.
Students reflected on the performance they heard, the music of Beethoven, and over the course of several weeks gave form to their creative ideas in writing and visual art. PSO Executive Director Melanie Clarke, who also founded the symphony’s PSO BRAVO! education programs, is enthusiastic about this season’s artistic results. “It’s exciting to see the students’ art and literary expression as a personal response to their exposure to symphonic music performed live. Being at our impressive hall, Richardson Auditorium, surrounded by the sound of a full orchestra, thinking deeply about what the music means to them, is a memorable experience which we hope will inspire the students to participate in live performance throughout their lives.”
Established in 2007 as an addition to PSO BRAVO! education programs, Listen Up! is an art response program which encourages creativity through active listening. To date, it has engaged over 180 students. Galleries featuring previous years’ student artwork can be accessed via our website at princetonsymphony.org under PSO BRAVO! Listen Up!
All PSO BRAVO! programs are free to participating students and schools thanks to the support of generous sponsors who believe in the importance of the arts in education. To learn more about Listen Up! or other PSO BRAVO!education programs or to offer support, call the symphony office at (609) 497-0020.
The students’ visual and literary works will be on display Monday, March 16 – Thursday, April 9 at the ArtsCouncil of Princeton during regular business hours. Both the opening reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.
ABOUT PSO BRAVO! EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s acclaimed PSO BRAVO! education programs reach more than 10,000 students each year. Meet the Orchestra! establishes PSO musicians in teaching partnerships at more than 30 public, private, and special-needs elementary schools throughout Central New Jersey, and stages full-orchestra performances for elementary school students each spring. At the middle school level, Listen Up! invites students to attend Classical Series concerts and create visual art in response to the music they hear. Through Master It!, advanced high school and college instrumentalists participate in public masterclasses with world-renowned artists. In October 2011, in partnership with the Princeton University Art Museum, PSO BRAVO! presented the first Festival of Music and Art, an afternoon of cultural activities for families to enjoy together. From kindergarten through college, PSO BRAVO! inspires the next generation of musicians and audiences.
About the Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Whether performing classical masterworks, introducing music by modern-day masters, or hosting students at their first live symphony performance, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of New Jersey’s finest music organizations. Led by Music Director Rossen Milanov, the PSO offers orchestral, pops, and chamber music programs of the highest quality, as well as lectures and other events to complement these concerts. Through PSO BRAVO!, the orchestra produces wide-reaching and innovative education programs, carried out in partnerships with local schools and arts organizations. With considerable community support and funding for excellence from the National Endowment for the Arts, the PSO is also a multiple-year recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ highest honors. In addition, the PSO has been recognized for its commitment to new music with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and a Copland Fund Award. The only independent, professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at historic Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.
