400 symphony seats up for grabs in school draws

Bay District Schools, in partnership with the Panama City Symphony, Florida Power & Light, Reliant South Construction Group and Dr. James Clemmons, held its inaugural Symphony Surprise Day giveaway at Northside Elementary School in Panama City on October 8.

The initiative allows students in the Bay, Gulf and Washington counties to enjoy live orchestral music with their families. Sponsors donated around 400 tickets worth US$20,000.

To kick things off, Mark McQueen, superintendent of Bay District Schools, and Sergey Bogza, conductor of the Panama City Symphony Orchestra, drew three lucky student winners to attend an upcoming symphony concert, such as “Mischief at the Masquerade Ball ” and “Holiday by the Bay.”

“As we strive to put the ‘A’ back in Bay (County), one of the dimensions we are focusing on is the ‘A’ for arts,” the superintendent said. “And by extending the arts to all of our students, we believe it helps them enrich their lives and help them be more well-rounded citizens.”

For the conductor, he said that his role, and objective, is to demystify symphonic music and make it accessible to everyone.

“What we are doing for this opportunity, for the children, is that when they go to this symphony, they will have a briefing moment; they will be able to speak with a symphony representative who will share with them what to expect,” Bogza said. “(Students will be introduced to) symphonic etiquette, instruments and some musicians will come out and meet the kids.”

For more information about the Panama City Symphony, visit panamacitysymphony.org or call (850) 785-7677.

This article originally appeared in The News Herald: Northside Elementary School Kicks Off Symphony Surprise Day Raffle