July 15, 2024
During preparations for our final performance of the 2023/24 Season, The Resurrection Mixtape, one of the rehearsals was opened up to allow students from Skyline High School in Mesa and guests from The Opportunity Tree to attend and experience the music at no cost. The Opportunity Tree is an organization that provides quality, individualized supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in dynamic and innovative environments.
Open rehearsals provide a unique, behind-the-scenes experience to special guests of the Phoenix Symphony. Attendees are given the opportunity to observe our musicians at work and see how the orchestra prepares for a concert. Additionally, they are given the chance to participate in a Q&A session with the conductor, guest artists and various Phoenix Symphony Musicians prior to the beginning of rehearsal.
The Resurrection Mixtape is a transformative performance that fuses the hits of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur with Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Steve Hackman, the conductor and creator of The Resurrection Mixtape, spoke with attendees during the Q&A session and shared his experience writing this piece and why he chose to merge these two seemingly unalike genres of music. They were able to engage with Hackman and he said after that the students and guests in attendance had some of the most “insightful questions” he had ever received during an open rehearsal.
Phoenix Symphony Musicians Jenna Daum, Acting Principal Flute, and Cristina Cutts Dougherty, Principal Tuba, also joined the Q&A session. Guests asked about their careers, music theory and much more. The 90-minute field trip was an electrifying experience for everyone, including our musicians. The Phoenix Symphony is offering many opportunities to attend Open Rehearsals in the upcoming 2024/2025 season. For more information please visit: