Violin Invasion hits P.S. 321 in Park Slope

November 6, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine will perform in concert at P.S. 321 in Park Slope as part of the Neighborhood Classics series. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

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Students at P.S. 321 in Park Slope will be treated to performances by more than 20 violinists who will visit the school on Nov. 17 for a special performance that will have music emanating from every corner of the building.

The event is being called the Violin Invasion and it’s the talk of the school.

More than 20 volunteer violinists from all over New York City will perform in hallways, classrooms, the cafeteria and other spaces at P.S. 321 at 180 Seventh Ave. in the special event presented by Neighborhood Classics, an arts education and fundraising program founded by pianist Simone Dinnerstein.

The Violin Invasion participants include violinist improviser Gregory Huebner, students from the Special Music School in Manhattan, violin teacher Brian Krinke, middle and high school students of Brooklyn, and violin teacher Kelly Howard. In addition, Sam Zygmuntowicz, a well known and sought-after repairer of string instruments, will be giving presentations on violin making. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Music will also be a focus at P.S. 321 on Nov. 18, as Neighborhood Classics presents a concert by celebrated violinist Rachel Barton Pine. The concert will take place in the auditorium at 7 p.m.

Pine will perform Bach’s “Sonata in G Minor” and selections from Paganini’s “24 Caprices, Op. 1,” as well as new works dedicated to her from New York composers Mohammed Fairouz and Earl Maneein.

Pine is celebrated in the classical music world as a leading interpreter of great classical works. Critics have lauded her for her gift for emotional communication, her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and infectious joy in music-making. She has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie.

The concert will be hosted by Dinnerstein. All ticket sales for the benefit P.S. 321, according to Neighborhood Classics.

Dinnerstein founded the Neighborhood Classics series in 2009 at P.S. 321, the school that her son attended and where her husband teaches, and expanded the series to P.S. 142 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2010. The goal of Neighborhood Classics is to build relationships at a local level between neighborhoods and musicians.

“This concert series is about bringing communities together around music,” Dinnerstein said in a statement. “It is a way for students, parents, teachers, and neighbors to gather in a familiar and comfortable setting to listen to great music.”

Neighborhood Classics has already raised enough funds to bring back the fourth grade band program at P.S. 142. At P.S. 321, proceeds benefit the school’s PTA, which helps to fund art, chess, band, and chorus programs.

For more information, visit www.neighborhoodclassics.com.