The Akron Symphony Orchestra partnered with Akron’s North High School again in 2018 on the ongoing music partnership program.

Symphony members Amy Cave, Kimia Ghaderi and Ann Smith (violin), Paul Miahky (cello), and Ann Gilbert (principal bass) worked in the classroom during the fall with the students in the high school’s music program. The partnership culminated in the professional musicians performing alongside the students at their annual winter concert.

“The kids are very excited that the symphony members are actually going to perform with us,” North High School Director of Music and Drama Rich Eder said in an article in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. “We have seen the symphony perform, and of course we’ve performed, but the excitement of combining the two is like unmeasurable data for these kids.”

While this is the third consecutive year of the partnership, it is the first time the ASO musicians participated in the concert. That opportunity was made possible through a grant the Akron Symphony received from the League of American Orchestras.