- March 12, 2025
Conductor Christopher Confessore gets excited in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
R.J. Longstreet fifth graders Payton Middleton (left) Donnalynn Mayren wait to take the stage at the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert: Orchestra Overboard! Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Executive Director Kristy Castellanos, performing arts specialist John Dupuis, school board district 3 chair Jessie Thompson, fine arts specialist Craig Uppercue and school board district 1 chair Jamie Haynes. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools board members and specialists gather with Orlando and Daytona Beach symphony society directors at the VIP party before the Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Director of Education and Community Amy Conrod. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Fine Arts Specialist Craig Uppercue. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Executive Director Kristy Castellanos. Photo by Michele Meyers
Fifth graders are excited about the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert "Orchestra Overboard!" at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Orlando Ballet performs at the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's concert at the Peabody auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County fifth graders sing the national anthem before the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Ballet and Opera Orlando put on the Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Director of Philanthropy Katie Cassidy laughs as Carl Persis, Volusia County School Board District 4, addresses the group at the VIP gathering. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Performing Arts Specialist John Dupuis talks at the VIP gathering before the Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Fine Arts Specialist Craig Uppercue (right) gives the fifth graders some pointers before they take the stage to sing the national anthem at the Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
Beachside Elementary music teacher Sarah Johns and her students Hope Bower and Cai Allen get ready to take the stage at the Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
Volusia County Schools Fine Arts Specialist Craig Uppercue takes the fifth graders through a practice run of the national anthem at the Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Orlando Ballet performs in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Actor Lizzy Allen plays narrator pirate Seaweed Sam (left) and Conductor Christopher Confessore (right) in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra performs the Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Pirate Seaweed Sam (bottom) tells Opera Orlando’s friendly baritone shark Thandolwethu Mamba not to eat her in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seaweed Sam is skeptical about Opera Orlando’s friendly shark Thandolwethu Mamba's claim that he got plenty to eat and did not need to eat people. Photo by Michele Meyers
Opera Orlando's Kristen Marie Gillis sings in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers..
The Orlando Ballet dances as a volcano in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
An Orlando Ballet dancer runs off the stage in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert at the Peabody Auditorium. Photo by Michele Meyers
Conductor Christopher Confessore in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert. Photo by Michele Meyers
“Orchestra Overboard!” narrator Seaweed Sam helped close to 5,000 Volusia County fifth graders navigate orchestral seas at the 32nd annual Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Peabody Auditorium.
Conductor Christopher Confessore and Sam, played by actor Lizzy Allen, led the students on a musical journey out of an orchestra pit where the pirate had a hypothetical shipwreck. They traveled to new depths with a quartet of aquatic characters and a living volcano, performed by the Orlando Ballet, and discovered hidden treasure with the assistance of Opera Orlando’s friendly baritone shark, Thandolwethu Mamba and singing mermaid Kristen Marie Gillis.
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra has offered the Young People’s Concerts since its first season 32 years ago. The concerts are OPO’s largest and longest running educational program, according to their website. Disney continues to be the presenting sponsor in collaboration with over 10 additional sponsors. Partial funding is contributed by Orange County Public Schools and the United Arts of Central Florida. Program partners include Volusia County Schools, Orange County Public Schools, Osceola County Public Schools and Seminole County Public Schools.
Amy Conrod is the OPO Director of Education and Community. She addressed attendees of the VIP event prior to the show, including, Volusia County Schools Executive Director of Elementary Division Kristy Castellanos, Volusia County School Board members Jamie Haynes, Jessie Thompson and Carl Persis, VCS Performing Arts Specialist John Dupuis, VCS Fine Arts Specialist Craig Uppercue, Daytona Beach Symphony Society board members and executive director Mark Francis along with multiple OPO directors.
At the end of the day, it’s about ensuring equity and access to diverse art forms. One of the most important aspects of my role and my colleagues...is to create a vision for arts education throughout our district that supports creativity and innovation and inclusivity. We want to make sure our teachers and students are empowered to thrive in a dynamic arts-rich environment. Our leadership really has a vision of making sure our culture is excellent." — CRAIG UPPERCUE, VCS Fine Arts Specialist
Conrod said the program is a huge collaboration between the conductor, who helps pick out the music, and scriptwriter Candace Neal who has been involved with the concert for a long time — she knows what the kids like. OPO staff has also conducted research to determine how long fifth graders stay engaged so most of the musical pieces do not exceed two minutes.
Teachers are also provided with a guidebook to help familiarize their students with the music prior to the concert. It covers everything from the program composers, the musical pieces, the musicians and the instruments they will be playing during the performance and concert etiquette. Volusia County music teachers Brittany Rath of Freedom Elementary and Payten Ford of Manatee Cove Elementary were two of the guidebook writers.
“This program is really something special,” Conrod said. “We are here in Volusia where we see 100% of their fifth graders, which is an incredible feat to get them all here. You’ll hear them and they’re loud and incredible. By the end of our run, we will see approximately 65,000 kids for this program. We do 32 performances so our musicians know it very, very well by the end.”
Volusia County has been participating in the Young People’s Concerts for close to 25 years. This year, they used 100 buses to transport 4,932 students from 48 elementary schools in the county.
Uppercue has been the VCS Fine Arts Specialist for four years. Both Uppercue and Dupuis sit on the OPO education committee. They meet once a month to discuss various community activities including the Young People’s Concert which is one of their major annual projects.
Uppercue reminisced about going to the concert as a young college intern with his fifth grade charges.
“These concerts are creating memories,” he said. “This is something you remember for the rest of your life. It’s such a pivotal moment of, ‘I got to experience the power of a live orchestra’. It really adds to our appreciation in life and something we can pass on to our kids and future generations.”
Beachside Elementary music teacher Sarah Johns stood with her students Hope Bower and Cat Allen before they took the stage to sing the national anthem before the concert.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I think it’s the best thing Volusia County can do for our students. This might be the one and only time that they get to see a real live orchestra in person in their whole lives. I look forward to it every year.”
As an art supervisor, Uppercue said his primary goal is to ensure the development and sustainability of high quality arts instruction throughout the district. He said the day-to-day of his job is not just supporting teachers and best practices in the classroom. but it is also advocating for the integration of arts into the core curriculum.
“At the end of the day, it’s about ensuring equity and access to diverse art forms,” he said. “One of the most important aspects of my role and my colleagues (John Dupuis and Bryce Hammond) who are performing and visual arts, I think, is to create a vision for arts education throughout our district that supports creativity and innovation and inclusivity. We want to make sure our teachers and students are empowered to thrive in a dynamic arts-rich environment. Our leadership really has a vision of making sure our culture is excellent.”
