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Every so often, the music industry receives once-in-a-lifetime acts who are extraordinarily talented and prefer spending time giving back to their fans and the less fortunate. Here are some of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra’s favorite musicians who break the boundaries of classical music:
Jourdan Urbach. At age 7, Urbach made his professional debut on the violin. By age 21, he became an established composer, Grammy winner, National Jefferson Award recipient, and two-time featured performer at Carnegie Hall.
Aside from being passionate about classical music, this prodigy made a difference in 1998 by founding Children Helping Children, a nonprofit that “[leveraged] his early music success into funds for children stricken with neurological illnesses,” according to Urbach’s website. He’s also a goodwill ambassador and artist-in-residence for the United Nations Arts for Peace.
Lang Lang. The Chinese pianist has traveled the world, performing classical favorites and new-age melodies, but when he is not captivating audiences, he is promoting New York City as its first cultural ambassador, “a role that’s meant to encourage more Chinese tourists to visit his adopted hometown,” according to The New York Times. He received the honor in 2016.
Lang Lang is also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF as well as a publisher of piano tutorials for more than 40 million children. To continue his philanthropic efforts, his charity, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation™(founded in 2008), recently made headlines for raising more than $2 million.
Lindsey Stirling. The Frederick Symphony Orchestra mentioned Stirling in our previous blog post about YouTube stars, and for a great reason. The violinist spent her career defying the music industry’s boundaries, as “a human amalgam of a Tumblr feed, she is seemingly equal parts musicianship, unconventional instrumentation, shameless self-expression and a photogenic goofball, appealing to anyone who might relate to one or all of those qualities that have melded together in one red-headed package,” according to The Huffington Post.
Her transcending and fresh attitude earned her a quarterfinal finish on America’s Got Talent, and has most recently taken her on a world tour. When not performing, she raised money for the Atlanta Music Project in 2013, and took part in Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit Music Festival in 2015 to raise awareness for extreme poverty.
Nadia Sirota. Sirota is a champion for the viola, as she puts fiery passion and unparalleled skill into her work. Off stage, to encourage music education, she created the Juilliard Plays Juilliard program for student composers and performers and initiated the Castleman/Amory/Huang studio’s New Music Project.
Nicola Benedetti. At age 15, Benedetti enrolled in the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, England, for violin. Her career spanned music festivals, featured performances with professional symphonies, tours, and other renowned events.
She is also fiercely dedicated to promoting music education and participates as a Big Sister and Board Member for Sistema Scotland, “a charity on a mission to create permanent social change in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland,” according to its website.
“In recognition for her service to music and charity, she was appointed by the Queen of England to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours,” according to Millennial Magazine.
While these musicians are all different in their styles, instrument choice, and performance methods, they all have one thing in common: a desire to make a positive impact on the world of classical music. If you want to see the local difference that our musicians make, check out our community outreach and educational programming: