Mission

The purpose of 3^rd Sundays@ 3 is to give audiences a venue to gain knowledge and experience through lectures and performances. We aim to:

1. Educate audiences by describing in simple terms the formal, analytical, historical, cultural and structural elements of music
2. Introduce and promote new music through education and access
3. Introduce the various ensembles (regardless of age or expertise) and composers in the community to the audiences that they serve

History

3^rd Sundays @ 3 is a FREE concert music lecture series

3^rd Sundays @ 3 was founded by conductor/composer Douglas McRay Daniels in 2009 as part of the education/outreach program for the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra (WPO). The original goal of this program was to give audiences a venue to gain knowledge and experience through lectures and musical performance.

Because of the lack of music education in schools, Daniels realized that many concert goers listened to music with undeveloped tools (ways of comprehending what they heard during concerts). He believed that if audiences could understand more of the music as it was being performed, their experience as listeners would considerably be enhanced. It could even open listeners to the possibilities of enjoying a variety of repertory and deepen the appreciation of the human experience express through music altogether. Various chamber groups from around the Greater Boston community were invited to share their talents, and as the name suggests, concerts occur on the 3^rd Sunday of each month at 3:00 in the afternoon.

(Daniels) believed that if audiences could understand more of the music as it was being performed, their experience as listeners would considerably be enhanced.

During the first season, four concerts were taped and viewed on TV stations in Medford and Waltham as well as Facebook. The free live performances were initially held at the Waltham Public Library, but eventually moved to Waltham’s Government Center to accommodate the growing audience and to maintain a predictable schedule.

Season two was an overall expansion of the program. Now ten concerts, the television viewership has expanded from two communities to ten including: Medford, Waltham, Cambridge, Watertown, Arlington, Belmont, Wellesley, Winchester, Concord and Lexington. The program also included a concert dedicated to middle, high school and college age performers called “Youth in the Chamber”. This concert allowed a special opportunity for these musicians to gain experience in presentation and performance.