If only there had been 12 days of Bridges concerts, I would have had the best title ever for this post! All the same, Merit’s staff had a fun time getting out to as many Bridges concerts as we possibly could. We couldn’t help but smile as we heard spirited performances from our Bridges students in school auditoriums and gyms across Chicago. Bridges Program Associate Alicia Poot caught this performance of Jingle Bells by the students in our violin program at Nobel Elementary School in the West Humboldt Park community (Manuel Adrianzen, principal):
Merit and Nobel have a decade long partnership in which we offer instruction in both violin and cello, taught by Merit faculty Dan Golden and Rebecca Zimmerman respectively. Many Nobel students also ride the free bus provided by Merit on Thursdays to attend our Preparatory program. On Thursday nights at Merit, our intermediate string students have group instruction on their instrument, attend musicianship classes and also play in string orchestra. The Preparatory program readies students for our top level Tuition-free Conservatory program while also providing young musicians with a community of their musical peers from all around Chicago.
I myself was planning to attend several concerts on December 15, 16 and 17 but was unexpectedly sidelined by the flu. I know that you will believe me when I say that I would have much preferred to be in the audience at your concerts on those days!
Let me leave you with some fun trivia from the 2008 Bridges holiday concert season:
- We had 32 Bridges concerts on our calendar taking place over a 7 day period.
- Wednesday, December 17 and Thursday, December 18 tied for the honor of “Busiest Concert Day”.
- Most frequently heard selection (or so it seemed!): “Jingle Bell Rock”
Students, parents, faculty, principals….Do you have any special stories from this year’s Bridges holiday concerts? Please share them with us by leaving a comment below!
And, if you weren’t able to hear any of our Bridges students perform in December, keep watching the sidebar calendar. More concerts in honor of Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month will soon be taking place.
32 Bridges concerts in seven days…
Wow, that is a lot of music! Approximately how long does each concert last?
It really does sound like a great experience.
Hello Mrs. D!
Usually our students perform as part of the larger school assembly so their portion is mixed in with classroom presentations, etc. We usually opt for “Quality over Quantity” with the performance of two to four selections. This can be a lot to prepare, especially for the beginners who have only been playing since late September!
Thanks for reading!
Betsy