GSO in Greenwich Schools

The Greenwich Symphony Orchestra has received a fourth anonymous gift of $10,000 to continue its program of GSO musicians performing in Greenwich schools, in response to requests from public school music teachers. An exciting series of performances is presented in the 2010-2011 school year.

A woodwind quintet, comprising GSO principal chair musicians – flutist Susan Rotholz, oboist Diane Lesser, clarinetist Phillip Bashor, and bassoonist Mark Davies, with French hornist Peter Reit – presented three back-to-back performances of a one-hour program at Eastern Middle School on February 7. The group, performing on stage surrounded by the students, played excerpts from a variety of works from classical to contemporary repertoire, and responded to well-informed and interesting questions.

''Storytime Quartet,'' a GSO string quartet with narrator Eddie Pleasant, will give two performances of a program featuring three classic fairy tales enhanced by excerpts from classical music of Haydn, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich, to second and third grade classes at Parkway School on March 21.

GSO's Principal Horn Peter Reit and his wife, the renowned harpist Alyssa Reit, gave five performances of a fifteen-minute program, including music of Elizabethan England to Bartók, at International School at Dundee's ''Classical Café'' lunchtime program. Peter and Alyssa will again play for Riverside School on March 28.

Joshua Roman, the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra's January 29 – 30 soloist in Elgar's Cello Concerto, performed and participated in Greenwich High School's String Ensemble Class, under the direction of GSO Orchestra Conductor Patricia Harada, on January 28. His playing of a movement from a J. S. Bach Cello Suite and of Mark Summer's ''Julie O'' delighted the class, and he advised and worked with the group in their rehearsal of works by Handel and Britten.