In 2023, Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts continues its Educational ArtReach partnership program with Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools on Monday, December 18, 2023 with the genre smashing popular-classical crossover group – TAKE3 – with the refinement of classical music combined with a flair for the wild and unexpected described as “Where ROCK meets BACH”!
TAKE3 will be performing three small workshops for students in grades K to 6 in the community areas outside their classrooms. In the afternoon, they will perform two assembly concerts in the High School Auditorium for grades K-6 and 7 to 12. Special thanks to the administration of A-C Valley schools – Superintendent David McDeavitt and Principals Bill Jordan and Lori Marron Sherman, and music teachers Karen Hetrick and Jennifer Lowry for facilitating the residency of TAKE3.
Following TAKE3’s sold-out Christmas concert in Lincoln Hall on Sunday, December 17, in the two afternoon assemblies the Trio will be performing selections from that program of Christmas favorites as well as their entertaining classical-popular mashups: “O Holy Night”, “Ave Maria” and “Silent Night” to a “Nutcracker Medley”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” in their Christmas portion of the program PLUS “Unchained Melody”, “Amazing Grace”, “What a Wonderful World”, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Orange Blossom Special.
TAKE3 Trio’s Educational Program
Violinist Lindsay Deutsch feels strongly that the young people of today need to have opportunities to be exposed to the world of classical music. In 2007, Lindsay and her sister, Lauren, co-founded a non-profit organization, the Classics Alive Foundation, www.classicsalive.org, dedicated to building classical music audiences.
With TAKE3, Lindsay ignites appreciation of classical music with students bringing the refinement of their rigorous classical music backgrounds infused with rock-star charisma.
Having been Yanni’s featured violin soloist and toured most of the 7 continents, Lindsay Deutsch and fellow TAKE3 artists present entertaining mash-ups of cross-over pop music, the genre-smashing, virtuosic-crossover trio.
TAKE3’s educational programming is designed for students of all ages with their goal to light a fire within the students that sparks their creativity. Whether they become active future listeners or even performers themselves, a visceral excitement for creativity is what they are after.
TAKE3 has a broad range of teaching and interactive performances that includes instruction in classical, pop, movie music, conducting and story telling.
Segment 1 – “Name That Tune!”– They will be playing short snippets of famous tunes from pop, Classical, movie soundtracks and video games! The moment of recognition is so exciting and everyone is invited to participate together.
Segment 2 – “Let’s Join Hands”– Students will be invited to join hands in clapping or adding percussion to their performance with handheld instruments such as maracas, tambourine, shakers, mallets, etc… They will be giving a short instruction to students on when and how to include percussive sounds.
Segment 3 – “Once Upon a Time”- Musicians tell stories without words. As performers they create their own stories, but invite their audiences to imagine their own. They encourage their young audience to listen, feel, think let their imaginations go wild and write it all down. They will invite a few volunteers to come up and narrate their stories as they perform.
About TAKE3
Trained at the world’s top conservatories, TAKE3 has expanded their repertoire from Bach and Beethoven to Leonard Cohen, Bieber and The Beach Boys. The Nevada Sagebrush says of TAKE3 “…. this group gave us a tremendous night of undisputed talent from some of the most passionate musicians around.”
This dynamic and charismatic threesome leaves their indelible mark on captivated crowds around the country performing their arrangements of Christmas favorites, top pop hits, Oldies, Americana, and their signature classical mashups – and everything in between including classical favorites.
TAKE3 makes it their mission to impart their love, passion and joy in music making to all who hear them, using their artistic ability as a conduit for musical storytelling.
Seamlessly merging hits from Elvis and the Beatles to Bach and Beethoven, TAKE3 lives at the intersection where pop, rock and classical fusion collide. Described by audience goers as a mini–Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas experience, TAKE3 is nothing short of exhilarating and has electrified audiences at venues and performing arts centers throughout the U.S. Their unmistakable style and infectious joy in music making brings them to over 60 stops in the U.S. during the 23/24 season.
Known for their infectious and down-to-earth personalities on stage, the trio performs with virtuosic instrumental cross-genre “chops”.
About Lindsay Deutsch
With her limitless enthusiasm and vast gifts as a performer and entertainer, American violinist, LINDSAY DEUTSCH, is a charismatic and captivating presence on today’s music scene. She has thrilled audiences world-wide with her passion for music and brilliant display of technique and musicianship.
TAKE3 was created by violinist/vocalist, Lindsay Deutsch, Yanni’s featured violin soloist, with whom she has toured throughout most of the 7 continents. Ms. Deutsch can be heard throughout Netflix’s popular show, The Witcher and the Hulu series All About Pam. Her performances on these Sony soundtracks reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and received millions of streams worldwide.
Ms. Deutsch began her career as a classical soloist, performing concerti with symphony orchestras around the country. Her performance of Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Kahane, was selected for NPR’s Symphony Cast Program.
Ms. Deutsch has become an ambassador for the Violins of Hope project, performing on violins saved in the Holocaust in venues around the country, including the Soraya center in Los Angeles and with the Livermore Symphony in San Francisco.
Ms. Deutsch received her education from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, where she studied under Robert Lipsett. Lindsay Deutsch plays on an 1845 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin.
About ARCA’s Educational ArtReach program
Begun in 2009, ARCA annually brings professional teaching artists and arts education performances and workshops to students from K to 12th grade in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools and showcases artwork of A-C Valley students in exhibits at its Red Brick Gallery on Main Street in Foxburg.
ARCA is grateful for the partnership of the A-C Valley Schools, working closely with A-C Valley administrators, faculty and music specialists in the design and implementation of this program – with special thanks to Superintendent David McDeavitt, Principals Bill Jordan and Lori Marron Sherman, and music teachers Karen Hetrick and Jennifer Lowrey.
Since 2010, the program has been supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, as well as by generous contributions from Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts Members and donors.
ARCA’s arts education program is in fulfillment of its mission as a non-profit organization, demonstrating its commitment to contribute to the future of the Allegheny-Clarion valley community through the arts education of its young people.
Over the years small workshops have been performed for elementary students in the common areas outside their classroom as well as assemblies for all A-C Valley students K to 12. Teaching Artists have included the Renaissance City Winds, Aria412, BEO String Quartet, Akropolis Reed Quintet, C Street Brass, Attack Theatre, Susanne Ortner and John Marcinizyn, Becky Billock and Cello Fury, as well as student art exhibits in the Red Brick Gallery.
In December 2022, the day after his sold out Christmas concert – A Magical Wurlitzer Christmas world renowned theatre organist Dave Wickerham performed four educational programs in Lincoln Hall on the Mighty McKissick Wurlitzer theatre organ for A-C Valley elementary in grades K to 6 as well as Jr. and Sr. High band and chorus students who were bused to Lincoln Hall. .
His program included popular songs ranging from Disney and Star Wars to Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, known to the students, a silent film comedy short featuring Laurel & Hardy in “Battle of the Century– The Pie Fight” – and ending with the soundscape train whistle opening and Chattanooga Choo Choo!
In past years, after workshops and assembly concerts, after-school master classes with C Street Brass and the Akropolis Reed Quintet brought the coaching of master teaching artist performers to A-C Valley Band members.
Undaunted by Pennsylvania COVID restrictions which prohibited in-school performances in 2021, Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts commissioned the acclaimed Teaching Artist, violinist MONIQUE MEAD, to create a 35-minute video resource to be presented in the classroom for all students in grades K to 6 and for Chorus students in grades 7 to 12 in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools.
The entertaining and stimulating video features the “Trio con Brio” as Monique Mead and her children, harpist Isabel Cardenes (17) and Tino Cardenes (16), pianist and video executive producer, explore the larger process of creativity – in any endeavor – with music performance as the metaphor.
See the ARCA blog with the FULL STORY about the video and project!
