Prince George's Philharmonic performs with County Students in Bravura Performance Feb 11, 2012

               There are so many great reasons to live in Prince George's County, and the Prince George's Philharmonic is one of them" Last night's exceptional program featured stars of our county's outstanding student body performing with the orchestra the sensuously dazzling 'Bacchanale' from the opera Samson and Delilah (French: Samson et Dalila), Op. 47 by Camille Saint-Saëns. In a bravura performance the talented student of Prince George's County high schools electrified the concert-hall with their inspired, musical collaboration.

First violins:

·       Melia Humphrey, Suitland High School

·       Kayla Carlyle,  Suitland High School

·       Jela Douglas, Suitland High School

Second Violins:

·       Olubuka Abiona, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

·       Taisha Stewart,  Suitland High School

·       Dominique Marshall, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

·       Abana Critchfield, Bowie High School

Viola:

·       Natalie Steenrod, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

·       Tornatore Salvatore, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Cello:

·       Yeshu Battle, Suitland High School

Bass:

·       Warren Brown, Bowie High School

Flute:

·       Katherine Skinner, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Oboe:

·       Rddie Kunkel, Eleanor Roosevely High School

Clarinet:

·       Nicholas Ey, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Bass Clarinet:

·       Saundra Black, Suitland High School

Bassoon:

·       Joya Petersen, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

(French) Horn:

·       Elliot Tapscott, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Trumpet:

·       Andrew Skinner, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Trombone:

·       Tad Howley, Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Tuba:

·       Briana Mack, Oxon Hill High School

Percussion:

·       Roderick Holcomb,  Northwestern High School

·       Amenta Turner, Oxon Hill High School

               The program continued featuring the Prince George's Philharmonic and a fiery performance of the Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, by the Polish violin virtuoso, Henryk Wieniawski. The concerto is a warhorse of the violin repertoire and the world-class rendition by the solo violinist, Emil Chudnovsky, pays tribute to both composer's abilities and the soloist's skill, technique and talent.

               And if this were not enough on the first real winter's day so far, Charles Ellis, Conductor, led the orchestra in a tour de force performance of the Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14 of Hector Berlioz.  Ellis and the Philharmonic kept the audience transfixed for almost an hour ending with the hair-raising, full of awe last movement is a spectacular performance.[1]

               Prince George's County is filled with treasures like the Philharmonic; this is why I am Proudly Prince Georgian.

see also:

Interview with Emil Chudnovsky, soloist with Pri. Geo.'s County Philharmonic Feb 11, 2012

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[1]  I was delighted to see young children in the audience, because if live performances of great music are to continnue. a new generation must be exposed, though sometime the extra sounds were a little distracting, the payback in the future overcomes the concerns of the evening.

Cell phones, however, are a real problem, nuisance and distraction:

http://feistyredhair.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/this-is-not-in-the-score/