It’s spring, which means it’s time for the annual Link Up concert. Schoolchildren from around the region have been practicing their recorders, singing, and working out some in-your-seat choreography throughout the school year, getting ready for their big moment.
Link Up is a music education program designed by the Weill Music Institute of Carnegie Hall. In partnership with orchestras and schools across the country, Link Up provides a participatory curriculum for grades 3 through 5, in which students learn musical concepts through doing: singing, clapping, moving, dancing, and recorder playing. The culmination of the year is the Link Up concert. Powell Hall was near capacity for two concerts on Wednesday morning.

Buses on Delmar
It all begins with the arrival of the buses.

Buses parked in the South Lot.
Many buses.

Entering Powell
The schoolchildren file in.

In the house
They take their seats.

Nice seats
They chat and warm up.

Peabody welcome
Sarah Kramer, of Peabody Energy, welcomes everyone to the event. Peabody Energy is a sponsor for Link Up.

What time is it?
It’s time to tune!

Tuning
With recorders in tune, time to begin.

Alastair Willis conducts
Alastair Willis leads the orchestra, the vocalists, and the audience.

Toreador
Guest vocalist Mark Freiman sings the Toreador song, and the schoolchildren sing along.

Name that tune
After a year of studying music, everyone on the house knows this symphony. The Carnegie program includes really cool graphics. The schoolchildren tracked the variations of the famous four-note intro throughout the performance of the first movement.

Hands in the air!
The theme of this Link Up program is the Orchestra Moves. And since even the audience is part of the orchestra for this show–everybody moves!
Kudos to Dacy Gillespie and Laura Reinert of the Symphony External Affairs Department who helped make this show go.