Holiday Concert to benefit Reach Out and Read at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia - November 26, 2004
Louis Scaglione conducts the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) in its 6th annual Holiday Benefit Concert supporting the work of Reach Out and Read at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Saturday, December 18. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. at Saint Mark's Church, 1625 Locust Street, Philadelphia. Admission to the concert is FREE. A goodwill offering (suggested donation of $20) will be collected, and all net proceeds will be donated to Reach Out and Read.
The PYAO will be joined by the Choral Society of Montgomery County and the Upper Darby High School Encore Singers directed by Barbara Benglian. The program includes excerpts from Handel's Messiah, featuring soprano soloist In Young Lee. Also on the program are songs and carols of the season.
Reach Out and Read at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is part of a national pediatric early literacy program and makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care, so that children grow up with books and a love of reading. Reach Out and Read was instituted at Children's Hospital's three Primary Care Centers in West Philadelphia in 1996 and at the fourth Primary Care Center in South Philadelphia in 1999. Since that time, the pediatricians and nurse practitioners at the Primary Care Centers have advised thousands of parents and caregivers about reading aloud to their young children and have given more than 110,000 new books to children ages 6 months to 5 years.
The PYAO was established in 1995 as a companion ensemble to the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Mr. Scaglione was appointed Conductor in 1997. The orchestra's 85 musicians, who range in age from 10 through 17 years, were selected by competitive audition and attend more than 60 different schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in a radius that extends more than 100 miles from the center of Philadelphia.
Now in its 23rd season, the Choral Society of Montgomery County continues to meet its goal of enriching its community through concerts, community service and educational activities. With the help of its underwriter, Montgomery County Community College, the ensemble has presented more than 600 concerts reaching every township and borough in Montgomery County, as well as throughout the greater Delaware Valley region and internationally.
The Encore Singers represent the premier vocal ensemble at Upper Darby High School. The group has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra and at numerous music festivals in which it has consistently earned superior ratings.
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra receives support from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a State agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of Education.