Symphony Down Under • Tour 2006
June 21 - July 3, 2006
Sydney Opera House Performance - June 26, 2006 - 8 pm

It’s true folks. This small town orchestra with the big town sound will make its debut at the Sydney Opera House next summer! The Symphony’s first tour since 2001 — when we made our debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall —  will introduce the music of California composer Craig Russell, the artistry of California horn virtuoso Richard Todd AND the best darn orchestra on California’s Central Coast to an international audience at the 17th Australian International Music Festival.  Performances are planned in Sydney, Bathurst, Penrith and Wollongong.

How you can help get this show on the road...

•  Buy a CD or sweatshirt or a cookbook!
Visit the Symphony Boutique at concerts or stop by the Symphony office and buy, buy, buy! These items make great stocking stuffers for the holidays and all proceeds benefit Tour 2006.

•  Make a donation.
Gifts in any amount are accepted and very much appreciated.  Simply make your checks payable to SLO Symphony Tour 2006 or call 543-3533 with your credit card number.  All donors will be gratefully acknowledged on a special Tour 2006 page in our concert program throughout the year, and highlighted in our April Fool�s concert program as well as in the Sydney Opera House program.  AND we�ll send you a "Friend of the San Luis Obispo Symphony" window sticker featuring the opera house to display proudly in your home, car or office.

• Buy a ticket to the April Fools Concert!
  When April Fools falls on a Saturday, musical hilarity cannot be too far behind!  On Saturday, April 1, 2006, a San Luis Obispo musical tradition continues with the "Once in a Blue Moon" April Fools Concert featuring Michael Nowak and the San Luis Obispo Symphony. Buy a ticket now to enjoy this fabulously funny concert and help underwrite the cost of sending our musicians on tour.

To order your tickets, call 756-2787.

You may see the phrase “Symphony Music Education” and think that it doesn’t apply to you.  Then again you might be surprised! 

Have you ever...
    •  Taken in a No Ties Allowed! FREE Dress Rehearsal on a Saturday afternoon?
    •  Arrived one hour before a concert to hear one of Dr. Craig Russells lively and engaging   
    Symphonic Forays lectures?
    •  Tried your hand at an instrument at the Symphony Musical Petting Zoo?
    •  Been appalled at the steady and alarming decline of public school music education
    offerings?
    •  Seen the excitement written on a persons face as they listen to live music?
    •  Enjoyed classical music???

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Symphony Music Education most definitely applies to you. Our purpose is to introduce and advance chamber and symphonic music education by providing music programs for people of all ages across San Luis Obispo County.  Many of these programs have been enriching, enlightening, and edifying Central Coast lives for years, but this fall the Symphony has been piloting an exciting new program for elementary school students that is the talk of the town!

From a First Grader:
"Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik reminds me of skateboarding in the 'bowl' - really smooth!"

From a Third Grader:
"When I close my eyes and listen to the music, I feel like I'm somewhere else."

From a First Grade Teacher:
"By Thursday, most of the class was humming along with the music.  This is the first composition they've hummed to."

The quotes above are from students and teachers participating in Everyday Etudes.  In the Etudes program, students listen to the same piece of classical music every day for 5 days in a row (every day of the school year.) Following each listening session, the classroom teacher reads aloud from a script created to guide students’ critical and creative thinking about music. In addition to the classroom listening experience, students are visited by the Symphony string quartet and travel to the Symphony Children’s Concert in the spring, both of which feature pieces from the daily listening sessions.  It’s a simple yet powerful program that can change the perception of classical music from “old and dead” to “new and alive!”
    The reaction from those participating in the pilot program has been tremendously positive, and we are excited to see how it will develop into the future.  I’ll keep you posted.

     Here’s hoping your new year is blessed with much music!
    --Jaime Lewis, Music Education Director

YEAR-TO-DATE CONTRIBUTIONS UPDATE

We are grateful for the part you play in bringing music to our community. Your contribution today is vital to:
•  The 8,000 elementary school children who discover the orchestra instruments with the Music Van, are introduced to string fundamentals at Symphony summer camp and learn concert etiquette at the spring Children's Concert.
•  Preserving No Ties Allowed! Free Dress Rehearsals enjoyed by thousands of music lovers every year.
•  Ensuring extraordinary classical concerts across San Luis Obispo County from the pines to the vineyards; from the city to the shore.

Donations are down slightly from last year and we need your help.  Your tax-deductible donation today guarantees that the power of music will shine in our busy, daily lives throughout the year.