Mansfield Symphony

Education Programs 2008-09

Operation Bridge-Building:
A Vision for Community Engagement in the North Central Ohio

Operation Bridge Building's Educational Initiative will serve approximately 8,000 Kindergarten through 5th grade students by enhancing classroom curriculum and engaging students and teachers with quality performing arts programming by the Mansfield Symphony and direct, hands-on contact with Music Director Robert Franz. On two occasions, ASCAP recognized Robert Franz for his advocacy of arts education. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in June 2008 and the Louisville Orchestra in 2001 were awarded the Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming based on programs he developed. The Louisville Orchestra’s award led to the creation a 2.5-hour education

program for Kentucky Educational Television entitled, Creating Music and Stories. Mr. Franz has created arts education programs for the Buffalo Philharmonic, where he was awarded the 2008 BPO/ECMEA Music Educators Award for Excellence, the Carolina Chamber Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, West End Chamber Ensemble and the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, including that organization’s innovative Bolton Research Project. In 2007, Franz received the Extraordinary Leadership Award as Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony.

Grades K-2: Opposites Attract
Grades 3-5: Music & Writing
October 28, 30, 31, 9:45 & 11:30 AM

Seats are still available for the Operation Bridge-Building concerts. For information contact Domenick Danza, Director of Education, 419-522-2726 x251, Domenick@mansfieldtickets.com

Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra

The Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra is made up of North-Central Ohio's finest musicians, primarily in high school from Richland, Crawford, Hancock, Seneca, Wyandot, Wayne, Knox, Huron, Marion, Holmes, Sandusky, and Ashland counties. The MSYO is the only youth orchestra within a 65 mile radius of Mansfield. Nearly 100% of its members study privately. There are approximately 90 members each season.

The Orchestra rehearses Monday evenings (September through November, and January through April) 7:00-9:00 PM at Malabar Middle School in Mansfield. Two concerts are scheduled each year at the historic Renaissance Theatre. In addition, students from the Youth Orchestra perform in a side by side concert with the Mansfield Symphony under the direction of Robert Franz.

There is an annual tuition fee of $35.00. For more information on the Youth Orchestra program, please contact Conductor Ettore Chiudioni at echiudioni@neo.rr.com.

See the Youth Orchestra page of the Mansfield Symphony Section.

Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings

The Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings was formed in 1992 to provide an additional performance outlet for young string musicians in the Mansfield area and to serve as a feeder program for the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. This orchestra experience not only complements the musical instruction young people receive in their school, but also provides a large ensemble experience to students who have no access to a school orchestra program. Youth Strings is currently comprised of 52 students, mainly in grades 6 through 10 from 20 schools in the Mansfield area, some coming from as far as 70 miles away.

Rehearsals for Youth Strings rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 6:15 - 8:00 PM at Malabar Middle School in Mansfield. Two concerts are scheduled each year, and auditions fro new members are held each spring.

For more information on the Youth Strings program, please contact Conductor Percy Hall at nashall@aol.com.

See the Youth Strings page of the Mansfield Symphony Section.

Chamber Summer Music Camp