Savannah Philharmonic has been awarded a $5,000 grant from Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) to produce two Link Up Young Person’s Concerts in February of next year.

The Savannah Philharmonic was one of 42 organizations to receive the Arts Education Program Grant. The $5,000 reward will be used to produce the Savannah Philharmonic’s annual Link-Up Young Person’s Concerts in collaboration with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

Link- Up is a music education program that is offered to students of the Savannah-Chatham Public School System in grades third through fifth. Participating students undergo a three-month study program with curriculum provided by Carnegie Hall. Students learn how to play the recorder flute, create musical compositions, sing a variety of songs and melodies and learn more about music history and important composers and musical styles. Upon completion of the coursework, students join the Savannah Philharmonic orchestra in a ‘debut’ performance for family, friends and the greater Savannah community.

The Link-Up program is a way for the youth of Savannah to engage with music performance and music education in a very interactive and hands-on way.

“We are very excited to have gained additional support for this program and appreciate GCA’s ongoing support,” said Savannah Philharmonic Executive Director, Terri O’Neil. “We look forward to another amazing year of Link-Up.”

The Georgia Council for the Arts awarded 135 organizations a collective amount of $1 million in funding. The grants presented by the council fall into three categories: Partner Grants to support general art organization operation, Project Grants to fund specific art initiatives and Arts Education grants that help organizations, like the Savannah Philharmonic, provide quality art education to their respective Georgia communities.