The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performed in Brownwood recently, thanks to the Brownwood Arts Council, and Brownwood ISD 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade students were able to enjoy special performances on Friday, January 16th.

“The Symphony did three different performances,” said Dean Kiesling, who works as a music teacher at Northwest Elementary and also serves on the Brownwood Arts Council.  “The evening performance was targeted for an adult audience. The two school performances were planned for the specific grade levels.”

The program for students included performances of different styles of music from the different countries that “flew their flags over Texas.”  The program also involved some interaction in between pieces as students answered a few questions regarding music and history, and the separate sections of the orchestra were introduced.

“It was probably the first time most of them had ever seen a live orchestra performance,” noted Kiesling. “They were able to practice good audience etiquette, which is a TEK [Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills] in every music class.”

The performances were well received by the community and the students, and Brownwood Arts Council has plans to continue to sponsor this kind of event. “We started planning two years ago to get them here this year,” said Kiesling, adding that the Arts Council is trying to fund and sponsor more events.  “The Arts Council hopes to be able to bring the Fort Worth Symphony back to Brownwood every two years.”