The Rockford Symphony Orchestra’s new Brass Quintet debuted on January 31, 2008 with presentations to students at St. Bernadette and Spectrum School. The Quintet is comprised of RSO musicians, Rebecca Asher (principal horn), Mark Baldin (principal trumpet), Paul Semanic (trumpet), Rick Seybold (principal trombone), and Paul Haugan (principal tuba). As part of the presentation, the musicians introduce their instruments, play pieces that feature each one, and demonstrate concepts such as pitch (high and low notes) and dynamics (playing loud or soft) as they relates to principals of acoustics.

A photo opportunity is available when the ensemble presents their next demonstration/performance from 9:10 until 11:15 on Thursday, February 7 at Rolling Green Elementary in Rockford.

The RSO’s outreach programs conducted by RSO professional musicians include Symphony Goes to School, the RSO Woodwind Quintet (which premiered in 2004), and new this year, the Brass Quintet. The primary purpose of the outreach programs offered to area schools is to offer a more “up-close” opportunity for students to hear a live performance and interact with professional musicians. The presentations are aligned with Illinois Department of Education Goals and Standards and connect with a variety of curriculum areas in addition to music, such as physics, language arts, social studies, and math.

Richard Nordlof, the Exalibur Award winner for 2007 was quoted in a recent interview as saying, “there is more than a casual connection between intellectual capacity and those who study and perform music.” RSO Education Director Lorie Langan states, “We are seeing a more challenging climate in the schools for students to participate in instrumental music classes due to a number of factors. We KNOW studying music is beneficial to kids and we hope by presenting programs like the Brass Quintet the students will consider how much fun it would be to learn to play an instrument.”

Partial funding for the pilot year of the Brass Quintet comes from a Project Grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council, which receives support from the City of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council, and its members. Additional funding for outreach programs comes from events such as the RSO’s Black Magic Ball.

For further information about other RSO events and concerts call (815) 965-0049 or visit www.rockfordsymphony.com.