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Rebecca Young To Receive Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service

 

Before she became a member of the New York Philharmonic, Rebecca Young was a two-year-old attendee of the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts led by Leonard Bernstein. Today, she is not only Associate Principal Viola of the Orchestra that introduced her to music — she is also the host of the Philharmonic’s Very Young People’s Concerts (VYPCs), intimate chamber music concerts for children ages 3 to 6, where she has sung, tap-danced, played drums, and ridden a scooter around the stage. Her philosophy is less to educate than “to make the audiences have so much fun they want to come back!”

In recognition of her one-of-a-kind performances as VYPC host, Rebecca Young will receive a Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service from the League of American Orchestras, celebrating professional orchestra musicians who provide exemplary service in their communities and make a significant impact through education and community engagement. She is one of five US orchestra musicians who will receive the award and present their work at the League’s National Conference on June 4.

Congratulations, Becky! You make us proud!

(Photo: Michael DiVito)

Very Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center Education’s Big Umbrella Festival, for Children on Autism Spectrum

We’re proud to share that Musicians from the Philharmonic will perform a Very Young People’s Concert April 14 at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse as part of Lincoln Center Education’s Big Umbrella Festival –– the world’s first month-long festival dedicated to arts programs for children on the autism spectrum and their families.

This Very Young People’s Concert will feature pre-concert musical games with musicians and a half-hour performance of Martinů’s La revue de cuisine, complete with audience participation and story with Philippe the Penguin, all hosted by Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young. The host of the Philharmonic’s popular Very Young People’s Concerts sums up her goal as: “To make the audiences have so much fun they want to come back!”

Just Announced! Special Family Concerts at WQXR's The Greene Space, March 21 & April 11

ny philharmonic wqxr the greene space

We're thrilled to announce two new offerings of musical family fun this spring. 

On Saturday, March 21, and Saturday, April 11, the Philharmonic and WQXR will co-present two special family concerts at The Greene Space, the station's live event venue (which is terrific, if you haven't been). Get details and tickets at www.thegreenespace.org. Update: the March 21 concert is sold out. 

Can't make it? They will be available to audiences online as live video webcasts at www.thegreenespace.org.

The March 21 concert, Philharmonic Playdates: "Make Believe," is a Very Young People's Concert, which are intended for children ages 3–6. Join Philippe the Penguin and Musicians from the New York Philharmonic to explore how music helps us to pretend and takes us to far-away places, with chamber music by Saint-Saëns, Dvořák, and Mozart. Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young is the host and Marion Schoevaert is the illustrator.

The April 11 concert, "The Land of Musical Opposites," is intended for children ages 8–12. Kaleidoscope, the Teaching Artists Ensemble of the New York Philharmonic, will present its take on Shakespeare's magical A Midsummer Night's Dream, based on music by Felix Mendelssohn. Learn how Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Mozart mix and match musical opposites to create new settings that tell the story of different characters.

Forever Becky Young

Becky Young and Bernstein

Before she became the Philharmonic's Associate Principal Viola, before she became host of the Very Young People's Concerts, Rebecca Young hobnobbed with Leonard Bernstein at a Young People's Concert back when she was a young person herself.

As host of the VYPCs, Becky says she gets to "run around the stage in a fun and lively way, engaging our youngest concert-goers as we introduce them to classical music."

Photo courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Digital Archives.