From P.S. 39 to the Philharmonic

photo credit: Michael DiVito/New York Philharmonic

Last year, Milo Poniewozik wrote a quintet that was played by musicians from the New York Philharmonic. This year, he expanded the piece with parts for the whole orchestra.

Did we mention Milo Poniewozik is 10?

The Park Slope P.S. 39 5th grader is part of the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program, which taps 72 lucky 4th and 5th graders from six area schools (P.S. 39 among them) to participate in a free after-school program designed to foster creativity — and plant the seeds for the next generation of classical composers.

And according to NPR’s Morning Edition, it’s working: Jon Deak, who first developed the program and is himself a composer and 40-year Philharmonic alum, has nothing but raves for Milo’s work. “I just gave a whoop when I saw it because it shows both a child’s spirit and yet some grasp of adult issues in a way you just can’t predict,” he told NPR, calling it “a knockout little piece.” Milo himself is considerably more modest: “It sounded really good. It was how I wanted it to sound,” he says.

Milo’s “The Globetrotters” had its full orchestral premier at Avery Fisher Hall late last month. You can listen to it — along with the full NPR report — here.