Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces BSO OffStage

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES BSO OFFSTAGE

An Online Platform for Digital Content through BSOmusic.org/OffStage and the BSO’s Social Media Platforms

March 25, 2020 – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) today announced BSO OffStage, an online platform of new and archived digital content from the BSO through BSOmusic.org/OffStage and the social media platforms of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

BSO President and CEO Peter Kjome stated, “During these difficult and unprecedented times, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is committed to continuing our mission of engaging, inspiring and educating to help enrich our audiences through music. In new and imaginative ways, the BSO will provide the joy of music through the launch of BSO OffStage. The BSO and our musicians hope to provide an additional source of comfort at this challenging time.”

Below are the digital content subject matters:

• BSO Performances: Current at-home recitals by BSO musicians and archived video footage of BSO performances.
• BSO Podcasts: WBJC 91.5 Program Director Jonathan Palevsky provides entertaining and informative insights into classical selections.
• At Home with the BSO: Self-produced videos from BSO musicians as they stay at home. Topics to include practice tips, anecdotes of BSO memories, how they are adjusting during this time, stories of their instruments and hobbies.
• Educational Activities: BSO musicians provide online masterclasses and introductory videos about their instruments for young audiences. Tutorial videos of crafts will be posted for parents to make with their children, similar to the crafts for pre-concert activities for Music Box and Family concerts. Special appearances will take place on the BSO Families Facebook group such as songs by BSO Music Box host Maria Broom, as well as a discussion between Associate Conductor Nicholas Hersh and a Hubble Telescope scientist.
• Facebook Live Performances: A recital series of BSO musicians as they perform from their homes live on the BSO’s Facebook page.
• Messages from Musicians: Music Director Marin Alsop and guest artists scheduled to perform during this time provide messages for the BSO family.
• Virtual Governing Members Lounge: To help maintain connections and provide insightful, exciting and interactive content for our patrons and donors, we will be launching a virtual Governing Members Lounge. Hosted by BSO Development Staff, these weekly 20 to 30-minute conversations will feature special guests – artistic leadership, musicians, guest artists and more – in thoughtful and topical conversations and include the opportunity for live audience Q&A. The BSO hosts the first of this series with Music Director Marin Alsop and Composer Anna Clyne on March 26. By going “Live” on Twitter, the public at large will be able to view the content (regardless of Twitter account status), and we will also be embedding the live events and posting archived events on the BSO’s OffStage webpages.
• BSO OrchKids: The BSO’s OrchKids program is offering its current after-school instrumental students live, online private instruction using the Teacher Zone platform, with additional online content curated by OrchKids teaching artists for all program participants. Videos of those educational experiences will also be available on the BSO’s OffStage webpages.

***

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. Under the direction of Music Director Marin Alsop, the orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings and educational outreach initiatives including OrchKids.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas. More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.