January 17, 2017 - The Fort Wayne Philharmonic will inaugurate a new, free, around town series of concerts called Live at Lunch, beginning on Thursday January 26, 2017 at the Sweetwater Sound Cafeteria, and Friday January 27, 2017 at Citizens Square. Both performances begin at 12:00 noon. Conducting the concert will be the Philharmonic’s assistant conductor Caleb Young. Subsequent concerts will be announced at a later date.
Live at Lunch is similar to the Philharmonic’s former pop-up series called Random Acts of Music. Designed to reach people in their own workplaces or convenient public settings, the experience is casual and relaxed. Audiences are free to sample part of the hour-long concert or stop by for just a few minutes. Live at Lunch brings the great classics right to the public, on their own terms.
A cornerstone of the regional arts community, the Philharmonic performs great art in the most excellent possible manner, but is now actively creating novel ways to thrill unexpected audiences.
“Not only do we want to create, produce, and perform exceptional and compelling art. We want to grow our listener base by boldly innovating to connect with new groups of people,” said Managing Director Jim Palermo.
“We hope that Live at Lunch will inspire listeners to engage more broadly and deeply. Attracting new venue partners and performing “on site” is a great way to engage people, even if for only a few minutes, because it places the Philharmonic in front of brand new audiences.”
Live at Lunch is a new community engagement effort, part of a larger and more comprehensive series of programs and services offered to the community. These well-established programs, along with new and innovative engagement opportunities, are designed to reach even more community members than ever before.
For decades, programs have focused on creating memorable musical experiences for school children, especially those from underserved economic areas who do not have access to quality arts education, as well as older adults in the community with the goal to improve their overall state of wellbeing. Live at Lunch is designed to engage new artistic partners, venues, and programmatic collaborators to place the Philharmonic in front of a wider array of audiences.
Program:
“Live at Lunch”
Caleb Young, conductor
Fort Wayne Philharmonic
MOZART, Marriage of Figaro Overture
BEETHOVEN, Symphony No. 5, Movement I
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, March Past of the Kitchen Utensils
MOZART, Symphony No. 40, Movement I
MENDELSSHON, Hebrides Overture
DVORAK, Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, B. 83: No. 8 (G minor)