Students in the seventh- and eighth-grade Pocantico Hills chorus shared the stage at Norwalk Concert Hall in Connecticut on November 8 with renowned classical violinist Alexander Markov, joining dozens of talented singers from middle and high schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Westchester County.
“It is a very cool, unique opportunity,” said Sheila DePaola, vocal/music teacher at Pocantico Hills School. The chorus enjoyed a day in Norwalk, visiting the Maritime Aquarium and viewing the IMAX movie Dolphins before the concert.
Markov, who made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall when he was 16, performed selections by Vivaldi, Handel, Niccolò Paganini, and other composers with his parents, virtuoso violinists Albert and Marina Markov, for the first half of the concert.
All the students took part in the second half of Markov’s concert, when he debuted his new rock compositions. The performance featured a rock band (including Pocantico parent Heike Doerr) and orchestra while the young singers backed up Markov, who played a gold electric violin.
Markov said his goal is to attract a young rock audience without alienating classical music fans.
