by Bonnie McIsaac, Board of Directors President
Lowell – The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra proudly presented its annual Family Concert entitled Colors of the Orchestra this past Saturday afternoon, May 20, 2023, at Fusion Church Lowell. The event proved to be an engaging interactive experience for music lovers of all ages.
We were honored to have as our Guest Soloist Jaeho Lee, winner of our 2023 Jeanne Selander Memorial Concerto Competition at the concert. Lee performed Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with nuanced interpretation of the music and brilliant playing. He is a talent to be watched! We are proud to be a part of his career.
A highlight of our Family Concert: Colors of the Orchestra was being joined on stage by local Student String Players from Wilmington, Billerica and Waltham. They also shared their talents with the audience during “Meet the Instruments “! Joining us in the Violin section: Allison Hall, Kerrington Massengill, Emily Manganiello; Viola Section: Miles Fallon, Kevin Pruslin; Cello Section: Emily Hall, David Paul Owens, Rui Yang. An amazing job by these talented young musicians!
The kids at yesterday’s Family Concert: Colors of the Orchestra let their imagination flow and colored during Debussy’s “Rêverie”. Thomas guided the kids by having different sections of the orchestra play segments of the piece before having the orchestra play tutti! The pictures were shown on the back screen during the playing of “Rêverie” during the second half.
Key to yesterday’s Colors of the Orchestra was the chance for kids to see and hear instruments up close. Our talented musicians demonstrated their instruments by showing how they play them and explaining the importance of each instrument in the orchestra.
“We are excited to bring this educational and entertaining concert to the Lowell community,” said Kociela. “The Colors of the Orchestra was an excellent opportunity for families to come together and enjoy the beauty of music. We hope to make classical music accessible to everyone and inspire the next generation of musicians.”
The LPO is grateful to Kevin Harkins and Harkins Photography for the beautiful photos!
The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting classical music in the Lowell area. The orchestra has been entertaining audiences since 1987 and has become a beloved institution in the community.
