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Philosophy
The QFO/FHSO is
a non-profit, tax-exempt, educational organization whose philosophy is,
in practice, as well as by charter, an educational organization. Our primary
aims are:
1. to teach the
young and offer them skills necessary for an eventual career in music:
2. to offer adults
of varying musical abilities a place to improve their musical skills;
3. for everyone,
to create music in the positive social experience of community service.
We are a community
made up of people from the Queens, Nassau, and greater New York Metropolitan
areas whose ages span eight decades from 11 to 92/ we cross all ethnic
lines and include all occupations, from student to retiree. We give three
concerts annually at the Forest Hills Jewish Center and rehearse there
weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:00 pm.
Since its founding
in 1964, and incorporation in 1969, the orchestra has seen many of its
students members
 and soloists graduate to various professional schools
and eventual music careers. For our adult soloists, we have been the platform
for the start of a concert career.
The symphony offers
a service to the Forest Hills community and its surrounding environs. The
elderly, without a comfortable and safe means of transportation do not
seek out musical entertainment outside their neighborhoods. In the daylight
hours they will congregate in a local park, or at a large indoor auditorium.
We aim to be able to bring music to these people where they are without
making them travel a significant distance. For our senior citizen orchestra
members, being able to give these programs would move us closer towards
our desire of community service in the form of musical entertainment. There
is a great deal of spirit that can be galvanized if the proper performing
environment were to exist.
Our regular concert
audience is largely senior citizen. We offer more than 400 tickets per
concert without charge to senior citizen centers and residential homes
for the handicapped in the Forest Hills and Queens County area. Out programs
are designed for this audience and their tastes. This, however, does not
mean that we play down to them. We provide high quality classical and light
classical music for this audience. We offer our programs at 2:00pm on three
Sunday afternoons especially for this audience so that come to and from
the concert does not entail their traveling after dark.
The QFT/FHSO is
embarking on a long-range program designed to upgrade the educational product.
It is called the TEACHER/SECTION LEADER PROGRAM. Each section of the orchestra
will have a section leader in the first chair position at every rehearsal.
These leaders will conduct sectional rehearsals to teach the finer points
of performance based on their own professional experience. In addition,
they will see that the music is correctly marked for greater understanding
of the music. At the concerts these people will add their playing skills
to the performance, thereby firmly grounding what has been taught at the
rehearsals. These sectional leaders can also be called upon to play solos
at concerts where a student soloist is not available.
The program will
start with a core of ten TEACHER/SECTION LEADERS evenly spaced through
the orchestra:
5 string players
2 violins, 1 viola,
1 cello, 1 bass
2 woodwind players
1 oboe, 1 bassoon
2 brass players
1 french horn,
1 trombone
1 percussion player
timpani
As funds are available,
extra positions can be added to ensure that each non-professional is near
a “teacher” or an “assistant”. This program will improve the playing standards
of the students and community player as well as the ensemble as a whole.
Once established, we feel that we would have an orchestra of great value
to our community and be able to play a more important part in our young
aspiring student musicians as well as our non-professional adult and senior
citizen members.
Salary is a prime
consideration for each of these positions in order that we may be
able to obtain qualifies personnel and create a stable core of musicians.
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