Lenox — Kids 4 Harmony is holding its annual gala on June 27 featuring students from Pittsfield and North Adams performing at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall. The students will be joined by pianist Emanuel Ax, who has been performing at Kids 4 Harmony galas since 2016. For this event, Ax will join the Elayne P. Bernstein Ensemble in a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor.
This year, the organization will honor two community partners: Pittsfield Public School Superintendent Joseph Curtis and North Adams Superintendent Barbara Malkas.
Leading the Elayne P. Bernstein Ensemble will be Venezuelan conductor and violinist Jorge Soto, currently Music Director of the Sistema Side-by-Side Orchestra at Longy School of Music of Bard College. A graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, Mr. Soto is also the Principal Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra and the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony. He has worked with other major orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, and with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón BolÃvar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, where he was a founding member.
Emanuel Ax, in addition to being an internationally recognized concert pianist who wins the most prestigious competitions, headlines Tanglewood, collaborates with people like Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, and is an active part of the local music scene in Berkshire County when he’s not teaching at the Juilliard School or touring the world. He and Mr. Ma have been known to present free pop-up concerts in the area, like the one they gave in 2021 for Greenagers. Mr. Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary doctorates of music from Skidmore College, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and Columbia University.
Inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, a program that uses classical music as a vehicle for social change, Kids 4 Harmony is a free, intensive classical music program for youth from under-resourced communities in Berkshire County established in 2011 through Berkshire Children and Families, known today as 18 Degrees. The program currently serves over 60 students ranging from elementary to high school age in Pittsfield and North Adams, providing access to classical music education, improving academic performance, developing leadership and social skills, and building a sense of community and connection for students.
On June 27, event guests will be directed to Tanglewood’s Hickory lot, with check-in taking place at the gate nearest Ozawa Hall. From there, guests will be directed to the Tent Club for a pre-concert reception at 5:30 p.m. and then to Ozawa Hall for the 7 p.m. concert.
Hear the students of Kids 4 Harmony in concert with Emanuel Ax performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on June 27, 5:30 p.m. at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall. Tickets are available here or by calling Sarah Frederick at (413) 448-8281, ext. 233.
