
Musicians of the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, which performs in Lewiston and Topsham, Maine.
In Monday’s (1/20) Times Record (Maine), Paul Bagnall writes, “The Midcoast Symphony Orchestra is back for another season, hoping to get more younger people involved with orchestral music through hands-on experience. Kids and adults have the opportunity to attend a ‘Meet the Instruments’ event one hour before each Midcoast Symphony Orchestra performance. Around 17 instruments, including string bass, woodwind and brass, are set out for the kids and parents to try out…. ‘Most performing organizations are noticing that finally, our attendance is going back up to pre-COVID times,’ said Carol Preston, Midcoast Symphony Orchestra concert master and treasurer…. Parents who bring their kids to the ‘Meet the Instruments’ can attend the concert that follows with two free adult tickets if they fill out a form before the concert. The theme for the concert this year is instruments that sound like water, along with artwork … from students in the area from elementary to high school age. The music pieces will be much shorter than a typical 30-minute symphony to grab the attention of younger audiences. ‘We are totally a community orchestra, which means we are unpaid, but as we like to say, “We play above our pay scale,” ’ Preston said.”