Rich Howells

VIDEO: NEPA Philharmonic trumpeter Micah Holt talks reaching millennials with classical music

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There are so many great bands to see in the region that many young music fans may pass over the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, which presents classical and pop-themed performances in local theaters like the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple and the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre throughout the year.

Principal trumpet player Micah Holt recognizes that all too well, noting that generational gap in a video interview with Wilkes-Barre marketing company Coal Creative released yesterday.

“The thing that I see the younger generation – my generation, millennials – losing or not understanding about classical music has a lot to do with the fact that it’s called classical music,” Holt said.

“Classical music is just music, and it can move you and make you happy or sad, just like any other music can.”

Born in Colorado Springs, the well-educated Pittsburgh resident hopes to continue playing in orchestras and teach this music and its importance to the next generation of students.

“When you play orchestral music and everything comes together, there are really powerful moments that happen both on stage and in the audience,” he described.

“I think when those moments happen together, those are the times when classical music really becomes special.”

Coal Creative’s goal with the short feature is not only to help to spread the word to young listeners, but also highlight the work of the only fully professional symphony in the area that people of any age may take for granted.

“We made this video featuring Micah to help bridge a gap to the younger generation of people living here in NEPA, to help them understand that it’s cool to be classy, to get dressed up, go out for dinner, and experience something other than drinks at a bar,” Coal Creative founder Gerard Durling explained.

“We tend to ask questions that start with ‘Whatever happened to…’ quite a lot in NEPA. We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and start embracing what we have while we still have it. I think that the Philharmonic is something we should want to support and see thrive within our community.”

Holt will be one of the soloists performing during “Masterworks III – Orchestra Spotlight,” featuring compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Haydn, Benjamin Britten, and Aaron Copland, at The Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College (501 Vine St., Scranton) this Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased now at nepaphil.org.