The Everett Philharmonic performs inspiring ‘Imagine’

EVERETT — For people who want to encourage their children or grandchildren to play a musical instrument, this concert is a great starting point.

The Everett Philharmonic Orchestra will perform its “Imagine” concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in Everett Civic Auditorium, led by conductor Paul-Elliott Cobbs.

The program features Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” made popular first by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent and then by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

The instruments of the orchestra are introduced individually, then slowly join together in a fugue on a musical theme by the composer Henry Purcell. Jannie Meisberger’s narration of the guide, especially with her British accent, will tie it all together for the audience, said Everett Philharmonic cellist Cami Davis.

Violinist Gloria Ferry-Brennan, 18, of south Whidbey Island, won the Everett Philharmonic’s first Young Artist Concerto Competition earlier this year. At the concert she will play the first movement of Samuel Barber’s Concerto for Violin.

A student of Seattle Symphony musician Simon James, Ferry-Brennan has performed with the Seattle Symphony, previously was concertmaster of the Seattle Youth Symphony and has made other solo appearances with orchestras such as Avanti, Sammamish and Philharmonia Northwest. She studied seven weeks at the Itzhak Perlman Music Program this past summer, attended a 10-day violin symposium at the Juilliard School in New York City and has participated in many violin competitions.

Ferry-Brennan plans to submit an audition recording of the Barber concerto with her college applications to Juilliard, Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music, among others.

“Performing in Everett gives me even more experience playing the concerto, which is one of my favorites,” she said. “It’s not a technically difficult piece, but it’s dramatic and emotional and a challenge to get the phrasing right.”

A violinist since age 4, Ferry-Brennan also plays violin and sings in the band 3 Cent Stamp, with friends James Hinkley on cello and Levi Burkle on guitar. The group performs their own take on old jazz standards and plans to tour this coming summer in support of their CD release.

“I am very busy, but I am glad to be a part of this educational concert in Everett,” Ferry-Brennan said. “Just like with any new language, music is best learned if you start playing early.”

Also on the Sunday program will be selections from movie score of “The Polar Express” along with the Leroy Anderson winter favorite, “Sleigh Ride,” made famous by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Leopold Stokowski’s orchestration of the rousing John Philip Sousa march, “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” will be conducted by Everett Philharmonic Orchestra Spring Fling auction winner Mouss Benmessauod.

Right after the concert, families will have the opportunity for a close look at the various instruments of the orchestra. Children can watch the orchestra’s musicians pluck their violins, toot their horns and bang their drums, and enjoy some hands-on activities, too.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.

If you go

Everett Philharmonic Orchestra: 3 p.m. Nov. 30, Everett Civic Auditorium, 2415 Colby Ave., Everett. Family tickets are $40 for a group of four and $10 for each additional ticket. Individual tickets are $20. Tickets are available online at www.everettphil.org, by calling 206-270-9729 or at 2:15 p.m. at the door.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.