Five students from the orchestra program at W.T. Clarke High School recently played as a part of the “Meeting Mozart” concert at LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts.
Violinists Hailey He and Bernard Kim, violist Ryan Giannitelli, cellist Brayden Chan, and string bassist Samantha Berrios diligently rehearsed the music under the direction of orchestra teacher Mr. Gregory Krajci for several weeks to prepare for the event. The show, produced by CDP Theatre in Sydney, Australia, featured two professional musician-actors as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his wife, Constanza, who introduce the works of the renowned composer to young children. The students were given an archival recording to match the varying needs of the show, attended one rehearsal with the music director and performed a total of three shows from March 17-18 as a part of the Tilles Center’s 2022-2023 season. The kindergarten classes in all five elementary schools within the East Meadow School District were treated to the performances on March 17.
“Meeting Mozart” introduces young audiences to a range of Mozart’s music, from variations on “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to his large-scale orchestral pieces. The production explored the instruments, scores and themes behind the music and the life of the musician who wrote them, aiming to instill a love and appreciation of classical music through an atmosphere that is fun, participatory and inclusive. Audiences met all the instruments and the ensemble along the way and discovered some of Mozart’s best-known and beloved classical music.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work, professionalism and commitment by these student musicians,” Mr. Krajci said. “They play for so many events during the school year and I’m glad they had the opportunity to get a taste of working in a professional show with a traveling theatre company. They certainly make me and our East Meadow community very proud.”
