‍

Joshua Bell Meets Dreyfoos School of the Arts Students

We wish to heartily thank the string octet comprised of students from the Dreyfoos School of the Arts who gave a phenomenal pre-concert performance at our last Masterworks concert on April 16 featuring violinist Joshua Bell. Their Orchestra Director and Dreyfoos alumnus, Jeffrey Adkins, performed in the double bass section with the us that same night. During intermission, Mr. Adkins and his students were given the incredible opportunity to meet Joshua Bell after his riveting performance.

‍

Coachings at The Benjamin School

Our musicians provided coaching sessions to string players enrolled at The Benjamin School’s Lower Campus this past week. Symphony violist, Felicia Besan, Principal Second Violinist Valentin Mansurov, and Principal Cellist Claudio Jaffé, instructed students in violin and cello coachings respectively.

At The Benjamin School, students begin a lifelong pursuit of understanding, embracing the excitement of learning, and realizing its unlimited power. The Benjamin community is rooted in a shared commitment to excellence and achievement. The Symphony is both grateful and proud to be a part of this experience to enhance the abilities of their students.

‍

Maestro Schwarz Conducts Clinic for Florida Youth Orchestra

This past week, Maestro Schwarz conducted a clinic for Florida Youth Orchestra. The first hour was with the symphony orchestra conducted by their music director, Dr. Claudio Jaffé, who is also a symphony musician. The second hour was for the principal orchestra conducted by Dr. Rufus Jones. It was a wonderful experience for the students, and some of the brass students even received a mini lesson from Maestro Schwarz!

‍

Tooty-Flooty!

Get ready to “Tooty-Flooty” with the Symphony’s flutist extraordinaire Joseph Monticello. His STEAM session is Saturday, May 13 from 1-4pm at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium.

‍

Did you know that the simple, end-blown “Neanderthal flute” is thought to be the oldest known instrument in the world dating back approximately 60,000 years? Join Joseph as he demonstrates how little has changed since then to create a variety of sounds by using a combination of air and fingers.  All visitors will be given a toy flute to play alongside Joseph that they can take home afterwards.

‍

Fun Facts: In addition to being an early music specialist, Joseph is a fierce proponent of Japanese traditional music and is a licensed professional player of a three-stringed instrument called the shamisen.