Fifth grade guest conductor Anirudh Krishnan receives applause from the crowd and Principal Susan Gately at the Farmingville assembly.
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra performed for a full house of enthusiastic students at Farmingville Elementary School on Thursday, May 8.
RSO Assistant Conductor Petko Dimitrov led the orchestra, and taught the students concepts of composing music. Dimitrov related the similarities between building with Lego blocks to using sounds to create music.
The children enjoyed pieces ranging from Offenbach’s renowned Orpheus in the Underworld to the theme song for the popular video game Angry Birds. Fifth grader Anirudh Krishnan, who has been studying violin for four years, had the honor of being a guest conductor. He led the orchestra in a delightful performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
“It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to conduct the RSO. I enjoyed it a lot!” Anirudh said.
Also among the highlights of the assembly was a dramatic piece by Argentinian composer Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla. With elements of tango, jazz, and classical genres, the music had the children moving, clapping, and snapping their fingers.
The performance by the RSO was funded by donations to the Farmingville PTA, and aligns with a PTA initiative to provide enrichment opportunities in the arts.