Orchestra Kentucky announces its first ProAm Concert Event on Monday, October 25, 2010, at Van Meter Hall at 7:30 p.m. Amateur musicians are invited to join the professional members of Orchestra Kentucky on stage to rehearse and perform Stravinsky’s Berceuse and Finale from The Firebird Suite, led by Orchestra Kentucky Music Director Jeffrey Reed. The ProAm Concert Event is designed to increase the community’s involvement in music and to serve as a cultural resource for South Central Kentucky. Registration for the event is now open at www.OrchestraKentucky.com/proam. The performance will conclude the orchestra’s You Be the Judge! concert, where the audience will be given a choice of two possible compositions for the orchestra to play. An on-the-spot vote will decide which one is performed. Tickets for the concert start at just $10. See below for complete details.

“It is becoming more and more critical for orchestras to connect with their audiences,” said Maestro Jeffrey Reed. “The challenge is getting more of our community to connect with our art form. If the connection is successful, it will result in more public support for the orchestra. And, it will strengthen our community,” said Reed. The idea for the concert came from the Baltimore Symphony’s program, “Rusty Musicians with the BSO”. The BSO’s first concert, February 2010, was quite successful, drawing more than 600 amateur musicians from the Baltimore area. “I didn’t want to use the term ‘rusty musician’ for the concert,” said Reed. “It suggested that the musicians we are inviting are not good players. When in reality, sometimes the only difference between an amateur and a professional is whether or not they are paid. So, we decided to call it our ProAm Concert Event, where professionals and amateurs come together to make music.”

REGISTRATION DETAILS

To Register: Visit www.OrchestraKentucky.com and fill out the application form. Acceptance is on a first come, first served basis until sections of the orchestra are filled by qualified applicants. The number of musicians will be dictated by the physical dimensions of the stage and how many of each instrument apply.

Rules: Participants must be age 25 or older and play a standard orchestra instrument from the following list: violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, percussion or timpani.

Applicants must be capable of preparing their part to The Firebird in advance of the first rehearsal. All participants must participate in a rehearsal Sunday evening, October 24th at 6:30, the dress rehearsal the afternoon of the concert (October 25th) at 4:00 p.m., and the 7:30 p.m. concert.

Deadlines: All applicants will be informed of their acceptance status by noon on Monday, September 20, 2010 through email. Applicants will have until noon on Monday, September 27, 2010 to inform the orchestra of their intent to participate. Any applicant who does not respond by noon on Monday, September 27, 2010 will forfeit his/her space in the ProAm Concert Event. Orchestra Kentucky will fill all forfeited spaces with applicants who have been placed on the waiting list. Applicants who are on the waiting list and are later selected to participate will be informed of their acceptance by noon on Friday, October 1, 2010.