Hours before Nor'easter hits, Longy School of Music celebrates

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. │ On March 12, just hours before the region’s third nor’easter in as many weeks was about to strike, the Longy School of Music’s fifth annual Sistema Side by Side Celebration got underway to a packed house at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre.

Under the batons of Sistema Side by Side Music Director Jorge Soto and special guest conductor Thomas Wilkins, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and BSO’s Germeshausen Youth and Family Concerts Conductor, the Sistema Side by Side Symphony Orchestra, Choir and String Ensemble took to the stage. A dinner followed the concert in Annenberg Hall, where Longy President Karen Zorn presented Maestro Wilkins with the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society. Longy's Honorary Gala Chair, Denis Sheahan, Chairman and CEO of Cambridge Trust Company, was also honored.

Sistema Side by Side Program at Five

The Sistema Side by Side program is one of Longy’s signature programs which pairs children ages 6 to 17 from El Sistema-inspired programs throughout Massachusetts with Longy’s Conservatory musicians to create unique ensembles. The program now features a wind ensemble, choir, string orchestra and full symphony orchestra.

This initiative is helping Longy to achieve its mission of preparing musicians to make a difference in the world. In addition to rehearsals, performances, and other activities that build community and valuable life skills, the Sistema Side by Side Series presents unparalleled opportunities for children from diverse, under-resourced backgrounds and neighborhoods to receive high-quality conservatory-level training. The Series also gives them the opportunity to leverage their new skills by performing in world-class venues with nationally renowned conductors and guest artists.

The evening included students from Boston String Academy in Boston, Conservatory Lab Charter School in Dorchester, El Sistema Somerville, Kids 4 Harmony in Pittsfield, Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program in Boston and Youth & Family Enrichment Services in Hyde Park.

Launched in the fall of 2013, the Series was immediately lauded by education advocates around the globe. Among those giving accolades and support to the program was perhaps the most esteemed product of Venezuela’s El Sistema program, Gustavo Dudamel, Grammy Award-winning music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who conducted Longy’s inaugural Sistema Side by Side Gala in 2014 and invited them to an additional open rehearsal at Harvard in November 2016.

Since then, the ensembles have performed with members of the Simón Bolívar String Quartet, opera legend Frederica von Stade, Street Symphony founder and LA Philharmonic violinist Vijay Gupta, and the Boston Cello Quartet and have given an enthusiastically received performance for Maestro José Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema.

About Longy School of Music of Bard College

Longy School of Music of Bard College prepares musicians to make a difference in the world with a social imperative that is at the core of the school’s curriculum. Internationally recognized for its efforts to meet a changing musical landscape head-on, Longy gives its graduates the opportunity to perform professionally, teach in a variety of settings, and expand access and opportunity within classical music.

Longy’s innovative curriculum, including the Sistema Side by Side program, Teaching Artist Program (TAP) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program, compels students to explore their artistry, take risks to build their skills, and become the musician the world needs them to be. Spearheaded by world-class faculty, Longy promotes profound musical understanding and technical mastery and inspires growth of imagination, fostering an attitude of inquiry about the musician’s role in the world.

For more information, please visit www.Longy.edu
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