At a North Carolina Symphony (NCS) Education Concert on Tuesday morning at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, the Symphony gratefully acknowledged its longtime and continued support from Duke Energy. As the Symphony’s Lead Music Education Sustainer, Duke Energy granted $175,000 for the 2016/17 season, helping make it possible for NCS to provide music education to students across North Carolina.“For decades, the North Carolina Symphony has demonstrated a strong commitment to making music education widely accessible throughout our state,” says Mike Hughes, Duke Energy’s Vice President of Community Relations, who presented a check onstage at the beginning of the concert. “We’re proud to partner with the Symphony to bring the joy of music directly to students, especially in rural and under-resourced communities.”
At the Tuesday morning Education Concert, more than 1,700 4th and 5th graders from Wake, Cumberland, Johnston, and Durham counties were in attendance; it was just one of many curriculum-based music education activities that the Symphony offers for students and schools throughout the school year.
Don Davis, Chair of the North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc., accepted the check on behalf of NCS. “Like many of the students in the audience, I had my first experience listening to classical music thanks to the North Carolina Symphony, when it performed at my school in Fayetteville. It is still a cherished memory,” says Davis. “The NCS Board of Trustees, musicians, and staff are deeply grateful that Duke Energy values an investment in music education, which ensures the continuation of this great tradition and shared experience in our state.”
Duke Energy—a major support of NCS for decades and the Lead Music Education Sustainer since 2012—is a critical source of support as NCS carries out the most extensive education program of any U.S. orchestra. The Symphony’s music education program aligns with the music curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. It offers training and resources for teachers, full-orchestra Education Concerts for 4th and 5th graders, small ensemble presentations in elementary school classrooms, and preschool programs combining music and literacy, as well as training and performance opportunities for middle and high school students.Duke Energy’s support this season will help provide music education to 60,000 schoolchildren in 31 counties throughout the school year, including many communities with limited access to the arts.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932 and subsequently the first state-supported orchestra in the country, the North Carolina Symphony is a vital and honored component of North Carolina's cultural life. Its 175 concerts and events annually are greeted with enthusiasm by adults and schoolchildren in more than 90 North Carolina counties throughout the state—in communities large and small, and in concert halls, auditoriums, gymnasiums, restaurants, clubs, and outdoor settings. The Symphony’s 66 full-time musicians perform under the artistic leadership of Music Director Grant Llewellyn and Associate Conductor David Glover.
NCS’s state headquarters venue is the spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. The Symphony’s service across the state includes series in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines, and Wilmington, as well as Summerfest concerts at the outdoor Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. NCS brings some of the world’s greatest artists to North Carolina, including Lang Lang, Stephen Hough, and Augustin Hadelich in the 2016/17 season. Committed to engaging students across North Carolina, NCS conducts the most extensive education program of any U.S. orchestra. In alignment with the music curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Symphony provides training and resources for teachers, sends small ensembles into classrooms, and presents full-orchestra Education Concerts experienced by more than 52,000 4th and 5th graders each year. At the middle and high school levels, students have opportunities to work directly with NCS artists and perform for NCS audiences.
NCS is dedicated to giving voice to new art, introducing North Carolina audiences to 20 works by living composers—including two co-commissions—in the past year. In its 83-year history, the Symphony has given 46 U.S. or world premieres. NCS will appear at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in spring 2017, as one of four orchestras chosen for the inaugural year ofSHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras—an honor that recognizes the Symphony’s innovative community partnerships and creative programming that inspires increased interest in new music. The Symphony will present works by composers with ties to North Carolina, including Sarah Kirkland Snider, Caroline Shaw, Mason Bates, and Robert Ward.
NCS is an entity of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information, visit ncsymphony.org.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of the communities where its customers live and work. In 2015, the foundation provided more than $30 million in charitable gifts. The foundation’s education focus spans kindergarten to career, particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), early childhood literacy and workforce development. It also supports the environment and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.
Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders at a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit http://www.duke-energy.com/
