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Symphony Summer Camp Holds Open House Tonight For Young Musicians, Parents

By Cherri Gregg

HADDONFIELD, NJ (CBS) - Symphony in C, based in South Jersey, is one of only three training orchestras in the country. The group is hosting its annual summer camp and is looking for students tonight at its open house.

In its 10th year, the Symphony Summer Camp is an intense two-weeks for 6th through 12th grade musicians, providing daytime training in classical music and jazz, as well as performance opportunities.

"There's a wind ensemble component for all the wind players and then separate from that is the string ensemble," says Joseph Hart, Director of Education and Community Engagement. He says roughly 60 young musicians will come from all walks of life to work with student instructors from prestigious area schools like the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple's Boyer College of Music.

"We really ask a lot of the kids in these two weeks," says Hart. "The beauty of it is that it's a delicate balance and mix of suburban students and Camden City kids.  Although, my main goal is to have them performing at a high level. It's also about social change and about having opportunities to be friends with people that they wouldn't ordinarily have an opportunity to do in their regular daily lives."

Hart says students are grouped by ability and need only be able to read music and have one year of experience playing their instrument to attend the camp.

"After the two weeks are over, we have a big concert," he says.

The camp will take place at Rutgers-Camden August 5th through 17th. To find out more, attend tonight's open house at 5:30 p.m. at Wamsley Violins, 26 Tanner Street, Haddonfield. For more info, go to SymphonyInC.org.

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