KEZI

EUGENE, Ore. — Hundreds of students embarked on a field trip to the Hult Center Tuesday for the first ever Orchestra Sings Concert.

Local elementary school students performed in an interactive concert with the Eugene Symphony.

There were two concerts Tuesday with 1,800 students attending. There will be another concert Wednesday.

Tuesday’s lesson: melody. Students were guided with music and song. For some, it was their first time inside the Hult Center and their first time hearing an orchestra play.  Some students even had the honor of performing on stage with the Eugene Symphony.

Seventy-five students with Willamalane Parks & Recreation and 4J School District’s best after-school program are taking part in a pilot program called Link Up.

The third, fourth and fifth graders have been meeting twice a week for an hour of instruction. Four weeks is all they had to learn two classical pieces on the soprano recorder.

At the first concert, students from Page Elementary school shared the stage with the Eugene Symphony playing ‘Ode to Joy’ and ‘Simple Gifts.’

“They did fantastic. They were a little nervous and they were watching, but at the same time they had practiced all of this for a month, and they were prepared, and they did really well. We are really proud of them,” said Jennifer Diaz, Eugene Symphony Education Director.

This Carnegie Hall program is made possible by a $40,000 grant from Meyer Memorial Trust Awards.

Between the two days, 2,300 students will attend the Orchestra Sings concert. As far as the Link Up program, the Eugene Symphony hopes to expand it next year.