Editor,

As the Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island commences its 10th anniversary season this month, we would like to publicly thank the community for all the support it has shown us over the past nine seasons. It is indeed impressive that a community our size can count a hometown professional orchestra among its cultural jewels. This season we are dedicating our season to Whidbey’s greatest asset — its youth.

One program in particular we are excited to offer is “Link Up,” a music curriculum developed by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and offered free-of-charge to over 1,500 Whidbey Island students in third through fifth grades. Saratoga Orchestra is honored to be one of only 90 national and international partners presenting this program where each child will learn to sing, play recorder, and study musical concepts about the orchestra, composers and instruments.

A concert for the students in May, 2017, will feature our new student musicians playing alongside the Saratoga Orchestra. Participating schools include Broad View Elementary, South Whidbey Elementary, Oak Harbor Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, South Whidbey Academy and the Waldorf School of Whidbey Island. We would like to thank the teachers and administrations of these schools for their support and invite the community to help make this program a success by sponsoring a recorder for each participating s tudent. Information can be found at www.sowhidbey.com and please join us for “Out of This World — A Cosmic Concert” on October 29 in Oak Harbor and October 30 in Langley.

Sincerely,

ANITA WHITNEY

Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island board president