Sue Jesch, right, leads a workshop for string players of all ages last spring.
On Saturday, May 9, Carson City Symphony’s Strings in the Schools will present its Festival for Harmonicas and Strings at Empire Elementary School, 1260 Monte Rosa Drive.
The half-day event includes a workshop for string players of all ages and a potluck lunch from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a public concert following at 3.
Artists in residence for the festival are Carson City Symphony Education Director Sue Jesch, conductor; Idaho composer Gary Edwards, bass player; and Tom Stryker, harmonica player. Hohner Inc., USA, has donated 12 chromatic harmonicas, which selected students from the STRAZZ advanced string ensemble are learning to play. Festival participants will learn and perform original music for harmonica and string orchestra by Edwards.
The public concert features a lecture-demonstration by Stryker about the harmonica, performances by workshop participants with Stryker on harmonica and Edwards on bass, and a jazz combo.
The festival is supported by public funds through the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and also by private donations.
String players of all ages who would like to participate in the festival must register in advance. Admission to the festival and the concert is free; donations are welcome.
For more information or to make a reservation, call Jesch at 775-540-5584.