Ever since Leonard Bernstein made the young people's concerts popular, symphony orchestras have learned the value of bringing more youngsters into the concert hall.

Jane and Allyra are just two of the thousands of youngsters invited to bring their recorders to the Blaisdell to play WITH the symphony. Thanks to the Carnegie Institute, the Link Up program provides a great opportunity for the students. Conductor Stuart Chafetz says
education has always been an important part of the symphony's mission...


"But now, we took it up a notch. We have sponsorships from the Carnegie Hall Institute. And they're basically giving us support to bring in all the keiki to play recorders and to play with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. It will look good on a resume some day for college,” said Conductor Stuart Chafetz.

Sponsors also helped bring kids over from the Big Island - and for those who didn't get to make the trip, good news.

"In fact, we're going to the neighbor island next week. We're going to do a community concert with Maestro Aaron Mahi and then the following morning we're going to this exact same thing - a Carnegie Hall link-up with the Honolulu Symphony and the Big Island kids," said Chafetz.

Kalihi-Kai 5th grader Allyra Cardenas knows just how lucky she is.

"You get to play along and it's fun because it's a good experience and it kind of feels like you're in the symphony, too," said Allyra Cardenas, a 5th grade Kalihi-Kai student.

For her friend, this is old hat. Jane has performed with the symphony before.

"Yes, when I was in 4th grade." Matthews - "What's it like to do that?" Raquinio - "It's kind of exciting because you get to play with the symphony and you get to learn with them, too," said Jane Raquinio, another 5the grade student from Kalihi-Kai.

Like learning to play the part of cannons in the 1812 overture.