Exploring The Classics

Saturday, March 1, 2003

(NAPSA)—Recent studies have shown that nearly 60 percent of the U.S. population is interested in classical music. Studies have also proven that young people with arts and music exposure score higher on SATs. Yet state agencies are cutting funding for the arts and schools have all but eliminated music education. Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is exploring the masterworks of classical music as part of a new TV series. In the midst of these challeng- ing times, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will launch an ambitious multimedia project this spring on PBS’s “Great Performances.” The pilot television broadcast—the first of a projected series—fea- tures an in-depth exploration of the monumental Tchaikovsky SymphonyNo. 4. Tilson Thomasis acknowledged as one of the most compelling communicators in the orchestra field, and his partnership with the SFS is hailed as one of the most innovative in the world today. “In these programs, we take viewers behind the scenes and reveal what goes into the playing of this great music,” says the conductor. “In doing this, we look for- ward to energizing not just committed classical music lovers, we also look forward to convincing a new generation that music is part of their human heritage and essential to everyone.” Funded in part by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the NEA, the multi-year project will reach millions of homes and schools across the country via television, a radio series and a newly created companion Web site. Watch for broadcast dates.

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