Where am I?
Road to Carnegie Hall
Kirkwood High School Symphonic Orchestra Students Reach Fundraising Goal of $72,000 for Carnegie Hall Trip
January 22, 2010
Kirkwood High School Symphonic Orchestra students reached their fundraising goal of $72,000 needed for their trip to the 2010 Instrumental Music Festival at Carnegie Hall March 26-29.
“Itʼs been an incredible journey since we announced our fundraising goal in May,” said Orchestra Director Patrick Jackson, “and weʼre not even in New York yet. We have been literally overwhelmed by the generous and enthusiastic support of this community, our parents, friends, fellow musicians and KHS alumni. Playing on the stage at Carnegie Hall will be such an amazing experience for these young musicians and they will be there because of this support.”
Since a team of judges from the Field Studies Center of New York announced last spring that the KHS orchestra was one of three music groups selected nationwide to play at Carnegie, the students began an immediate campaign to raise the funds.
Their efforts began within two weeks with a kick-off “Car-negie Car Wash” and later included a letter writing campaign to friends and relatives, book fairs, a rummage sale, Greentree Festival game booth, numerous media interviews, and presentations and appearances throughout the community, all culminating with a “Road to Carnegie Hall” alumni benefit concert in December.
The sold-out concert presented a rare opportunity for the community to hear world renowned musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and internationally acclaimed string virtuosos, all graduates of the KHS orchestral program.
Money raised from the campaign will be used to cover expenses for the four-day trip, including ground transportation from St. Louis to New York for the cellos and double basses. Sixty-one students will be making the trip.
The students have been working on the music for the Carnegie performance since September; Jackson has selected a very difficult and yet eclectic program for the performance. The rigorous months of rehearsals are in addition to the students’ regular full concert and solo ensemble schedule.
Symphonic Orchestra students, directed by Jackson for the past 19 years, have won local and national acclaim for performances throughout the country. Former Kirkwood students have won first prize in prestigious string competitions including the Avery Fisher Prize, Banff International Chamber Music Competition, the Sphinx Competition, and the Young Concert Artist Guild competition. Jackson’s students have also attended top music schools nationwide, including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, The New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Added to the annals of Kirkwood’s orchestral history will now be an unprecedented appearance at Carnegie Hall.
When his students take center stage at Carnegie, the sounds emanating from their instruments will waft five stories upward above the curvilinear stage and mix into the plastered walls where other legendary music greats have left their sound.
Symphonic Orchestra Students Embark on "The Road to Carnegie Hall" Fundraising Campaign.
While it takes some people a lifetime of practice to get to Carnegie Hall, as the saying goes, the Kirkwood High School Symphonic Orchestra students will have that honor as young musicians March 26-29 at the 2010 Instrumental Music Festival at the prestigious hall. The Kirkwood Symphonic Orchestra was one of three instrumental groups selected nationwide. Under the direction of Orchestra Director Patrick Jackson, the students will embark on a year-long fundraising campaign, “The Road to Carnegie Hall,” to generate funds for the unprecedented trip.
A team of judges from the Field Studies Center of New York, sponsors of the Instrumental Music Festival and other educational travel programs, reviewed the KHS orchestra’s application form as well as an audition tape before making the final selection. The Instrumental Music Festival is held annually to provide students with a rich educational experience.
The 50-member Kirkwood Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Patrick Jackson for the past 18 years, has won local and national acclaim for their performances throughout the country. Former Kirkwood students have won first prize in prestigious string competitions including the Avery Fisher Prize, Banff International Chamber Music Competition, the Sphinx Competition, and the Young Concert Artist Guild competition. Jackson’s students have also attended top music schools nationwide, including The Julliard School, Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, New England School of Music, Oberlin College conservatory, and the Shepard School of Music at Rice University.
Jackson, who introduces his students to string instruments in the fourth grade, spends years cultivating the kids’ musical talent. Discipline, excellence and the importance of practicing are drilled into the kids from the first day they pick up their instruments.
Elementary students meet twice a week before school; middle and high school students have orchestra class included as part of their daily schedule. Students are often scattered throughout the music hallway after school rehearsing for upcoming concerts and auditions. Jackson encourages all of his students to audition for spots in the community youth orchestras as well as attend prestigious summer camps across the country. He also arranges for most of the students to take private lessons with professional musicians he has worked with in the past.
Jackson works nonstop to bring out the best in each student, even driving great distances to attend every audition his students have to make sure their instruments are properly tuned. It’s a mantra of perfection and excellence that has permeated the program since his arrival on Kirkwood’s campus 18 years ago.
“He has never wavered from his goal and his desire for excellence has remained constant,” said Kelly Judge, who directs the Concert Orchestra at the high school and the Nipher Middle School Orchestra. “Because of this consistency, the kids believe in him. It’s not like one day he’s demanding excellence and the next day, because he might be tired, let them get away with less effort.”
When his students take center stage at Carnegie next spring, the sounds emanating from their instruments will waft five stories upward above the curvilinear stage and mix into the plastered walls where other legendary music greats have left behind their sound.
Donations to the “On the Road to Carnegie Hall” campaign may be made online (see instructions below) or, by forwarding a check made payable to the Kirkwood High School Orchestra to:
Kirkwood School District
Attention: Ginger Fletcher
11289 Manchester Rd.
Kirkwood, MO 63122.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
"Wood to the Hall" T-shirts Now Available
T-Shirts are also available:
Kirkwood School District Community Relations Office
314-213-6123
Coming Soon: Online Orders!