LPO ACADEMY JOINS HOME IS HERE NOLA AND PRESERVATION HALL BRASS BAND IN WELCOMING SYRIAN REFUGEE PUPPET LITTLE AMAL TO NEW ORLEANS

The 12-foot puppet makes stop in New Orleans with a series of free events as part of American tour

 

NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), the region’s premier orchestra, Home is Here NOLA and Preservation Hall Brass Band welcome LITTLE AMAL, the 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, to New Orleans with LPO’s Musical Storytime on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Lafitte Greenway. Part of the performance art project known as The Walk, Little Amal journeys across the US for a two-month walk as a symbol of human rights and raising refugee awareness. For more information, visit https://www.walkwithamal.org/events/when-you-hear-the-beat/. 

 

“The Louisiana Philharmonic is excited to partner with these wonderful organizations to extend a New Orleans welcome to Little Amal,” says LPO Executive Director Anwar Nasir. “Our city represents a myriad of heritages, backgrounds, and lived experiences, and the LPO proud to be part of a moment that celebrates the many people who call New Orleans home through music.”

The LPO’s Musical Storytime begins at 10:30 AM with a live reading and accompaniment of Wynton Marsalis’, “Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! A Sonic Adventure” by LPO viola Catherine Matushek and LPO Academy students. Immediately following at 10:45 AM, Mayor LaToya Cantrell will extend an official welcome to Little Amal before the LPO Academy and Home is Here NOLA walks with Little Amal New Orleans style in a second line down the Lafitte Greenway. The second line will be led by New Orleans’ resident brass band, Preservation Hall Brass Band. For more information, visit www.lpomusic.com.

“We are thrilled to welcome Little Amal to New Orleans,” says Lafitte Greenway’s Alexis Marceaux “What could be a better starting point for her journey than the Lafitte Greenway, our community's ultimate connector.”

The LPO Academy music mentor program provides New Orleans youth the opportunity to intensively study instrumental music in one-on-one and small group settings with a Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Music Mentor. The program partners with existing music ensemble programs in the Greater New Orleans area to offer this service to students as part of their regular school day.

 

WHO: Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Home is Here NOLA, and Preservation Hall Brass Band

WHAT: The Walk with Little Amal makes stop in New Orleans at LPO’s Musical Storytime 

WHERE: Lafitte Greenway Plaza (Intersection of the Lafitte Greenway and Norman C Francis Parkway)

WHEN: 10:30 AM

 

ABOUT LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Steeped in history yet focused on innovation, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is the only full-time collaboratively governed and operated orchestra in the United States.  Under the leadership of Music Director, Matthew Kraemer, the LPO is rooted in a culturally diverse community with a two-hundred-year orchestral music tradition, the LPO sets the standard for orchestral programming and performance in Louisiana.  For our sixty-seven musicians, achieving the highest level of artistry is integrally linked with a personal investment in our organization and our community. 

Visit lpomusic.com to learn more.