News
JEREMY TREVORS MIRAMICHI LEADER
The big day is coming up for Sistema NB Miramichi.
The group is in the final stages of preparing for their big Christmas concert coming up on Friday, Dec. 9 at the James M. Hill Memorial High School auditorium.
The concert will feature two different orchestra’s, one called the Corelli String Orchestra, with Emily Field as conductor and the Beethoven String Orchestra with Carlos Armao as conductor.
“We focus on classical music but we do some folk music.”Armao said.“We have a surprise for the crowd, but we can’t say what it is.”
The Sistema NB Miramichi program was launched in January of 2016. New Brunswick has six Sistema programs in the province and started in 2009 and is associated with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and serve more than 1,000 children.
The Corelli String Orchestra is part of the beginners class and the Beethoven String Orchestra features students who have been in the program since January.
The beginners class plays instruments only using one finger, while the higher level plays their instruments with all four fingers.
“This is the next big milestone for the Beethoven group and they’re doing harder rhythms, too.”Armao said.
The show gets underway at 7:30 p.m. and should last until about 8:30 p.m. or so. Admission is free.
Sistema, which is part of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, focuses on teaching children learning and performing orchestral music.
Armao said the kids are improving fast and the instructors had to adapt to the talent of the kids and how quick they would learn.
“[The conductors] usually play for them and they see us playing our instruments and they start copying what we’re doing and I often say that they are actually teaching themselves,”Armao said with a laugh.“They sometimes say ‘Carlos look at this’and they show me something, but it’s something I didn’t show them. It’s so incredible.”
Added Armao: “That’s the kind of talent that we’re seeing here in Miramichi it’s unbelievable they learn so fast.”
Armao said people are going to be impressed with how the kids will be playing in this concert and have improved vastly since their last show in June.
“Bring some Kleenex, be prepared to cry,”Armao chuckled.“They’re learning so fast.”
More than 50 students are in the Sistema NB Miramichi program which features students from Ian Baillie Primary, St. Andrew’s and Napan elementary schools and have three teachers.
Partners and supporters include the Anglophone North School District, the City of Miramichi, Miramichi Big Brothers Big Sisters Boys and Girls Club, the Kinsmen Club of Miramichi and the Highland Society of New Brunswick in Miramichi.
“They all make this possible because this is free for the children. They’re bused from the school to practice and we provide snacks and the lessons at no cost, but they have to come everyday from Monday to Friday from 2 until 5:30 p.m. so it’s very intensive,”Armao said.
Armao said Sistema develops kids to become champions in their community a so far it appears they are in the midst of developing community champions for Miramichi.
“We help their self-esteem, their discipline and all these values are important to us,”Armao said.
