Education and Community Outreach
Over the years, the Newton Symphony Orchestra has engaged in a number of activities designed to enhance
the local and classical music communities. These activities include the folowing:
The Lasker Young Soloist Competition and Free Family Concert
The Lasker Competition was established in 1967 in honor of NSO founders Gertrude and Henry Lasker.
The late Henry Lasker was a distinguished music educator, composer, author, and teacher at Newton North
High School, where the Lasker Auditorium is named in his honor.
Gertrude Lasker served on the NSO Board for many years.
The winners of the Primary, Middle, and High School categories have the unique opportunity to perform
with the NSO at the annual Family Concert.
Many winners from previous years have gone on to careers in music, and all have carried with them the
memory of substantial accomplishment and joy.
Sebastian Baverstam, a winner in 2003, performed the Schumann Cello Concerto with the NSO a short time before making his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra playing the same work.
Newton Symphony Chamber Players
The Newton Symphony Chamber Players and soloists from the orchestra have offered education and entertainment programs in local
youth centers such as the John M. Barry Boys and Girls Club of Newton. This season they are presenting three concerts at the Newton Free Library. In the first concert, held on December 9, several wind players performed Mozart's Serenade in Bb ("Gran Partita") and the Dvorak Serenade in D Minor, with cello and double bass. The remaining concerts will be held on February 15 and April 14.
Other Collaborations
The NSO collaborates with other organizations to bring special and culturally diverse performances
to the Boston area.
In 2001, in partnership with the Polish-American community, NSO gave a concert at the Cathedral of
the Holy Cross in Boston to commemorate the centennial celebration of Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski,
Primate of Poland and Archbishop of Warsaw.
The NSO has collaborated with the Chinese Arts Exchange for several years in the "East Meets West" series,
performing both Western and Chinese music in sold-out performances at Boston's Symphony Hall and New York
City's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
