ORONO (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The annual Young People’s Concert hosted by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra took place Monday morning in Bangor. This year's theme: poetry.
"Our concert today features the combination of poetry and music," said BSO conductor Lucas Richman. "Poetry has been associated with music for centuries."
The ensemble put on two shows as more than 2,800 students came from across the state.
The students listened to the hour-long educational concert to learn how poetry and music are similar.
"They're thinking about how music and words connect and how you can paint a picture with music," said BSO Executive Director Brian Hinrichs. "They send materials that they can teach about the poem in advance so then they can familiarize themselves with the words so then they can see how that becomes music on stage today."
Those materials included poems that the students saw come to life.
"I love the way they set it up this year, with connecting to poetry and to Paul Revere's ride and the whole history aspect of it," said Katahdin Middle and High School music teacher Kyle Quarles. "I thought that was really smart so I think the kids are going to get a lot of out of."
Quarles also said he thinks the concert will be beneficial for his students to see music up close.
"I think the experience of coming here is really a big eye-opener for a lot of them," Quarles said. "It's like a big event and it sounds totally different live than when I show them videos in the classroom, so it tends to change kids minds a little bit when they get here."