A large group of Conservatory students were recently in attendance at the Phoenix Symphony's "Bach to Bach" concert on January 17, 2003. "The idea of having students witness more live events came out of a discussion with Rupert Neve during a recent campus visit", says Administrator Kirt Hamm. "Rupert strongly believes that listening to only PCM digitized versions of music limits a person's experience, and we agree."
The school has a special relationship with the Symphony by the fact that Conservatory instructor Paul Richards has recorded all the Symphony's full orchestra and chamber concerts for the last three years. Richards approached Symphony Operations Manager, Ed Hurd, and General Manager, Kendra Whitlock, about having a small group of students attend the concert. "They both liked the idea so much that they held 125 tickets at will call for the school," says Richards.
Richards suggested that the students scatter themselves throughout the hall, as opposed to grouping everyone in one section. He then encouraged them to meet in the lobby during the intermission and to switch seats, so they could experience the second half from a different perspective, paying attention to the way the sound changed.
Richards calls the trip a smashing success and has already made plans for future visits. "We've been discussing the possibility of making the Symphony trip a regular student experience, perhaps four times per season."
The school has a special relationship with the Symphony by the fact that Conservatory instructor Paul Richards has recorded all the Symphony's full orchestra and chamber concerts for the last three years. Richards approached Symphony Operations Manager, Ed Hurd, and General Manager, Kendra Whitlock, about having a small group of students attend the concert. "They both liked the idea so much that they held 125 tickets at will call for the school," says Richards.
Richards suggested that the students scatter themselves throughout the hall, as opposed to grouping everyone in one section. He then encouraged them to meet in the lobby during the intermission and to switch seats, so they could experience the second half from a different perspective, paying attention to the way the sound changed.
Richards calls the trip a smashing success and has already made plans for future visits. "We've been discussing the possibility of making the Symphony trip a regular student experience, perhaps four times per season."