The Savannah Philharmonic was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Johanna Anderson Trueblood Foundation to fund the upcoming Link Up Young Person’s Concert, a program held in collaboration with New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Link Up is an exciting participatory program offered to up to 2,400 Savannah-Chatham County Public School System students in third through fifth grades. The students will learn to sing and play recorders in their classrooms before performing with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra in two scheduled Link Up Young Person’s Concerts on Feb. 6 at the Lucas Theater in Savannah. Link Up partnering orchestras are invited to utilize any of the Carnegie Hall program materials, including teacher guides, curriculum materials, concert scripts and concert visuals to ensure participating students enjoy a successful performance experience. 

In addition to the Johanna Anderson Trueblood Foundation grant, corporate sponsors for the Link Up concert include Brasseler USA, Gulfstream Aerospace and the City of Savannah. The Johanna Anderson Trueblood Foundation is interested not only in funding but also in forming long-term relationships with the successful organizations in which it chooses to invest. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Lyle Anderson, was pleased with the selection of the Savannah Philharmonic as a grant recipient.

“We are very impressed with your organization and feel that the program you have described will be of great benefit,” Anderson shared with Philharmonic Executive Director Terri O’Neil.

On Dec. 7, 2018, the Savannah Philharmonic also was recognized at the SCCPSS’s second Annual Superintendent’s Gala for the Arts for the organization’s dedication to music education, as demonstrated through their expanding Orchestra Lab Program. SPO has maintained a strong commitment to exposing Savannah’s children to music and music education, fervently believing it to be vital to the future of classical music as a cultural asset and career path for generations to come. As a long-time proponent of music education and community involvement through its wide variety of outreach programs, SPO greatly values its relationship with SCCPSS and is greatly valued by SCCPSS in return.

SCCPSS Performing Arts Specialist and Philharmonic Board Member Mel Whitehead is happy to see the collaborative effort expanding, yielding very favorable results for the students of Savannah.

“We are extremely honored and fortunate in the relationship we have with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra. Having professional musicians come into the classrooms to work with our students through Orchestra Lab is an invaluable gift to SCCPSS from SPO,” Whitehead said. “And by providing collaborative programs such as Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Young Person’s Concert, our students will be given the extraordinary opportunity of performing with the highest caliber of musicians and will truly have the experience of a lifetime!”