Visitor Center to Host Student Performances During the Month of May

PHILADELPHIA, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning May 4, The Independence Visitor Center will host 4 performances by schools from around the country during the month of May. This programming is an effort managed by the Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC) to creatively greet visitors to the Philadelphia region and ensure they gain a lasting first impression of the building and area.

Needham Middle School Wind Ensemble, May 4 at 2:00 p.m.
The Needham Middle School Wind Ensemble is an auditioned group comprised of students in grades 6, 7 and 8 from both the High Rock and Pollard Middle Schools located in Needham, MA. The group rehearses after school once per week, and exists to give advanced middle school musicians an experience of playing challenging literature in a few-per-part setting. The Wind Ensemble curriculum is extensive, studying a wide variety of classical and contemporary wind band literature. Since its inception in 2008, the Needham Middle School Wind Ensemble has consistently received exceptional ratings at adjudicated festivals. Most recently, the Middle School Wind Ensemble performed at Symphony Hall last spring as a gold medal recipient in the annual MICCA concert festival.

Holy Child Academy Band & Choir, May 10 at 3:15 p.m.
Located in Drexel Hill, PA and founded in 1927, Holy Child Academy (HCA) is the oldest and only independent, co-educational, Catholic school for children in Nursery through Eighth Grade in Delaware County, PA. HCA Choirs and/or Band have performed at area churches and nursing homes; Philadelphia Phillies Games; the Pennsylvania Capital Building in Harrisburg; Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia; the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; the American Music Theater in Lancaster; Baltimore Inner Harbor Amphitheater in Maryland; and the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C. 

Uniondale High School's Select String Band & Orchestra, May 18 at 3:00 p.m.
Uniondale High School's Select Strings is an honors orchestra under the direction of Beatrice Flipse from Uniondale, NY. The ensemble features advanced students who excel in both music and academics. The group has received superior ratings both at home and abroad, traveling each year to compete in festivals with Rhythms International. Select Strings will feature string orchestra music by composers of various countries and eras. This year, their program focuses on nationalism in music.

Carleton Middle School Band, May 18 at 2:00 p.m.
The Will Carleton Middle School located in Sterling Heights, MI, provides instrumental instruction to students grades 6-8. A part of the Warren Consolidated School district, the bands have received superior first division ratings at both the district and state levels of Michigan State Band and Orchestra Association competition for the past 4 years. Under the direction of Cheryl Lantto, the bands have performed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and participated in the Music in the Parks festival in Chicago.

The Independence Visitor Center Corporation is a Pennsylvania non-profit, 501(c)3 organization which operates in cooperation with the efforts of the National Park Service, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Independence Visitor Center is Independence National Historical Park's and the region's welcome center for people from all over the nation and the world offering visitor amenities including trip planning service, easy onsite ticketing for area attractions, multilingual concierge staff, comprehensive daily listing of area events, attraction displays and regional maps, free, informative historical and orientation films, free wireless Internet access and much more. Follow @PHLVisitorCntr, the Visitor Center's virtual concierge service on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

SOURCE The Independence Visitor Center Corporation