Filmed at The Plaza Live and Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO) is pleased to bring the annual Young People’s Concert virtually into homes and schools November 15-19, 2021. The virtual format has been chosen for the 2nd year in a row due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school field trips. Throughout the 29-year history of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the annual presentation of the Young People’s Concert has been a highlight for students and teachers alike, traditionally taking place through more than a dozen live performances over several weeks. 2020 marked the first virtual presentation of the concert, which reached over 75,000 grade 3-5 students across Florida and into Georgia.
“We were so pleased with our first virtual Young People’s Concert, and this year’s edition will be even better,” said Paul Helfrich, executive director of the OPO. “We have a really great concert for this year with an engaging storyline, outstanding performances, state-of-the-art visuals and, the most important thing, great music.”
The recording took place in early October at The Plaza Live, home of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra; and Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, the home of the Orlando Ballet. Post-production work, editing, and digital enhancement were done by Diacom Productions.
This year’s program, titled “Bach to the Future: Scaling the Musical Eras One Tune at a Time”, features musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, dancers from the Orlando Ballet, and singers from Opera Orlando. In this musical adventure through time, viewers help our narrator “Millie Second,” a great inventor from another time, repair her broken time machine to return to her home era.
“With more characters and interactive elements than ever before, audiences will be transported through music along this wild ride, and hopefully learn along the way!” said Amy Conrod, director of education and community.
Program Description: Imagine it: You take your seat. The audience quiets. The orchestra tunes. The Maestro lifts his baton. And suddenly- GREAT SCOTT!– a stranger takes the stage! Millie Second, a great inventor from another time has landed herself in the modern-day and she’s not quite sure how she got here, where she came from, or how to get home. To top it all off, her time machine, The Chord Explorer, won’t start and her instruction manual is missing a few key pages. Only the musical minds of our maestro, musicians, and audience can help refuel the broken machine and return our fearless inventor to her home era. But, the journey won’t be without some tuneful twists and turns. From the Renaissance to the Roaring ’20s, from the space race to the gold rush, this melodic adventure will have you asking not “Where will we go next?” but “When?!”
The program will be available starting November 15th at 12:00 a.m. ET, and will be available for streaming throughout Florida and across the world. Ticket holders will have until November 19 at 11:59 p.m. to view the program at any time, as many times as they would like. Those purchasing tickets will be sent more information on how to view the program, as well as the performance streaming link, as the release date approaches. A digital Teacher Guidebook is available to guide teachers in preparing students to fully benefit from the program.
Tickets are $8, and group sales can be done at a discounted price by contacting the Orlando Philharmonic Frank Santos/Dan Dantin Box Office at 407.770.0071. To best support the orchestra, we ask that viewers please purchase the number of tickets that corresponds with the number of people in your viewing party.
The 2021 Young People’s Concert is presented by Walt Disney World Resort. Generous support for the 2020 Young People’s Concert comes from the Pabst Steinmetz Foundation; the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation; The Chesley G. Magruder Foundation; The Martin-Gracia Andersen Foundation; the Kay Hardesty Logan Foundation; Publix Supermarket Charities; and TD Bank. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is funded in part by United Arts of Central Florida, home of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com, and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida.