The Discovery Orchestra Brings ‘Discover The Firebird’ to US Public Television

Just as many Americans are using their #stayathome time to pursue personal improvement, a new television special from an Emmy-nominated orchestra is helping them develop their listening skills while teaching them more about classical music. Led by Founder and Artistic Director George Marriner Maull, The Discovery Orchestra introduces classical music to millions through entertaining and informative interactive performances, or Discovery Concerts. Its one-hour television program Discover The Firebird, exploring a masterwork of classical music—Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite—is premiering on public television stations across the nation this month. Distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT), the program is set to air on public television stations in cities including Washington, DC; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Harrisburg; Las Vegas and more. Viewers can check their local listings or visit www.aptonline.org to learn when the program is airing in their area. 

“With all the societal ‘noise’ pulling Americans in so many directions, viewers need moments of complete presence,” said Maull, who aims to not only help audiences develop a deeper appreciation for classical music, but to develop new active listening skills for both music and the world around them. “Discover The Firebird is a continuation of our quest to get audiences to consciously choose to listen to music and ground themselves in the now.”

Discover The Firebird transports audiences into the mystical world of an iconic masterpiece composed by Stravinsky in 1910.   Based on Russian folklore, one scene of the Firebird ballet relates a battle waged by Prince Ivan, with the help of a magical winged creature, against the evil king Kastchei. This exciting music is explored. Recorded in front of a live audience in Morristown, New Jersey, in September 2019, Discover The Firebird brings viewers a performance by the 85-member Discovery Orchestra and an interactive exploration with Maestro Maull leading the audience through a lively and engaging process of musical discovery. Home viewers are encouraged to participate using a listening guide appearing at the bottom of their television screens.

The show is the fifth in a line of educational television programs from the New Jersey-based ensemble — including the award-winning Bach to the Future, Discover Beethoven’s 5^th, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the eight-part series Fall in Love with Music.  Discover The Firebird is written, hosted and conducted by Maestro Maull. Virginia Johnston is executive producer; Midnight Media Group, Inc., is producer and Walter Schoenknecht is director.  

The show, which had its television premiere on NJTV on April 29, is scheduled on many additional public television stations in top U.S. markets.

Viewers to early screenings have raved about the program, with one New Jersey viewer saying he and his wife heard things in the music they’d not experienced before and another calling it a “fantastic way to enjoy classical music.”

“I was thinking: ‘I don’t need to know all these things about the music!’ But then the conductor played it again and I was just overwhelmed. I enjoyed it so much more noticing the things he pointed out,” said one Manhattan viewer.

Viewers can download copies of the listening guide for this concert at www.discoveryorchestra.org/firebird Details on The Discovery Orchestra, including its past programs, are available at www.discoveryorchestra.org/tv-shows or view the shows for free on Amazon Prime. For program information, check www.aptonline.org or local listings.

 About The Discovery Orchestra:
The Discovery Orchestra® (the Orchestra) is a 501(c)(3) music education organization based in Summit, New Jersey, teaching the attentive listening skills that help people of all backgrounds better comprehend, experience and emotionally connect with classical music. Under the direction of Artistic Director George Marriner Maull, the Orchestra uses a welcoming and humorous approach to classical music appreciation for the general public. Founded in 1987, the Orchestra engages audiences through live interactive concerts, intimate gatherings, community outreach events and television and digital content. Its award-winning media programs, including the Emmy-nominated Bach to the Future, Discover Beethoven’s 5th, Discover Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and the eight-part series Fall in Love with Music, are available for purchase or streaming on Amazon Prime Video. For more information on the Orchestra, visit  www.discoveryorchestra.org, or connect with the Orchestra on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.   

About APT:

American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Front and Center, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create^®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

 # # #