Annual “The Orchestra Swings” program brought Beaufort County students together to perform alongside professional musicians
More than 1,250 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students from the Beaufort County School District took part in the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s annual Young Persons Concert on April 29, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church of Hilton Head Island.
This year’s program, “The Orchestra Swings,” introduced students to the energy, rhythm and unmistakable sound of the Big Band era through Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program.
Held each spring, the Young Persons Concert is the culmination of months of classroom preparation. Students spend approximately eight months learning about the featured music and composers, practicing selected songs and learning to play the recorder before joining HHSO musicians for an interactive live performance.
Bringing Swing Music to a New Generation
For the 2025 program, students explored the music of the Swing era and performed familiar standards including Duke Ellington’s “Duke’s Place” and George and Ira Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.”
Under the direction of HHSO Music Director John Morris Russell, the concert turned the traditional orchestra experience into something highly participatory, giving students the opportunity to sing and play along with professional musicians.
Vocalists Michelle Meece, Matthew Meece and Laiken Williams, along with emcee Gustavo Rattia, joined the HHSO for the program. Russell even stepped away from the podium during the performance to jitterbug with Michelle Meece, adding to the energy of the morning.
Young Musicians Join the Orchestra
The concert also featured 29 violin students from Red Cedar Elementary in Bluffton, performing alongside members of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra.
HHSO has provided instruments and instruction to the Red Cedar students for several years, giving young musicians the opportunity to build their skills and experience what it is like to perform as part of an orchestra.
Music teachers from Hilton Head Island Elementary, Hilton Head Preparatory School, Red Cedar Elementary, Michael C. Riley Elementary, River Ridge Academy, Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts and First Presbyterian Church Day School participated in the 2025 program.
“No School Left Behind”
The 2025 Young Persons Concert also led to an unexpected encore.
Because of a transportation miscommunication, 237 students from Michael C. Riley Elementary School were unable to attend their scheduled April 29 performance after months of preparation.
Rather than let the students miss the experience entirely, members of the HHSO organized a special make-up performance at the school.
On May 19, musicians Martin Lesch, Michelle Meece, Matthew Meece, Gustavo Rattia, Kenneth Mason, Chris Russell and Mario Incorvaia brought a chamber version of “The Orchestra Swings” directly to Michael C. Riley Elementary.
The performance gave the students the same opportunity to sing, play and participate in a live musical experience after spending months preparing for the concert.
An Annual Commitment to Music Education
Young people have long been at the heart of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s mission.
Through the annual Young Persons Concert and other educational initiatives, HHSO works to introduce Beaufort County students to professional musicians, orchestral repertoire and the experience of making music together.
The Young Persons Concert is made possible through Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program, which provides participating schools with educational materials at no cost and helps students build the musical skills they ultimately bring into the concert hall.
Community Support Makes the Program Possible
The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the organizations whose support made the 2025 Young Persons Concert possible, including the South Carolina Arts Commission, The Bargain Box, Long Cove Fund, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Gulfstream and The Breedlove Foundation through the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
