Yannick Leads the Children

Yannick Nézet-Séguin will open the third concert of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Mozart celebration by conducting a string orchestra composed of children who practice for three hours after school, Monday through Friday. The children belong to Play On, Philly! (POP) a group of over one hundred children, from grades K-11, who practice at St. Francis de Sales School in West Philadelphia. POP brings the benefits of musical training to children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to music lessons. It is a leading member of a national network of musical organizations based on El Sistema—a Venezuelan program that has spread through South America and changed the lives of thousands of low-income children.

Yannick will rehearse with the Play On, Philly! string orchestra on Wednesday, April 23, at St. Francis de Sales and lead them through Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik at the Orchestra’s evening concert on Friday, April 25. The Orchestra will follow their festive opening with three of the top works in the repertoire: the overture to Don Giovanni and Mozart’s 22nd piano concerto and 40th symphony. The soloist for all the concertos in the three-program celebration will be 18-year-old Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki.

The third concert of the Philadelphia Orchestra's Mozart Celebration is coming up on Friday, April 25 at 8pm at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia. For tickets, prices, and more information, visit www.philorch.org, the Play On, Philly! website, or call 215-893-1999.