Atlanta Symphony Orchestra To Host Talent Development
Program Annual Spring Recital
Student Performances Showcase Music Training Program That
Cultivates Diversity in American Orchestras
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will host its annual Spring Recital, featuring performances by student musicians of the Talent Development Program (TDP), a music training program for African-American and Latino youth. Free to the public: The recital will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008, at 1:30 pm in the Richard H. Rich Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center.
The recital will feature classical music performances by more than 20 Talent Development Program student musicians in the 4th–12th grades of public, private and home schools throughout the metro Atlanta area.
Recruitment representatives from numerous colleges and conservatory music programs will attend the event, including: Berklee College of Music, Eastman School of Music, Frost School of Music, The Juilliard School, Mannes College of Music, New England Conservatory, Northwestern School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Peabody Institute.
Established in 1993, the TDP identifies and supports talented, young African-American and Latino students who desire to pursue classical music. The TDP prepares its students for conservatory-level music study by providing instruction and mentoring by Atlanta Symphony musicians, performance opportunities and complimentary admission to Atlanta Symphony concerts, and through the Azira G. Hill Scholarship Fund, provides financial assistance to attend leading summer music study programs. Annually the TDP includes 25 students, most of whom remain in the Program through high school graduation. In 2007, bassist Eric Thompson was the first TDP graduate to join a professional orchestra.
Also scheduled to perform at the recital are the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet (Tuba Michael Moore, Principal Trumpet Tom Hooten, Trumpet Michael Tiscione, Horn Richard Dean, and Principal Trombone Colin Williams) and the Atlanta Symphony String Trio (Assistant Concertmaster Justin Bruns, Viola Cathy Lynn, and Cello Brad Ritchie). Mr. Moore and Mr. Bruns are among the 18 Atlanta Symphony musicians who currently teach and mentor Talent Development Program students. A reception will immediately follow the Spring Recital, where guests can meet the featured musicians of the Talent Development Program and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
The recital is sponsored in part by the Woodruff Arts Center’s Celebrate Diversity through the Arts program, presented by the American Express Company, and Brenda Kay Event Planning & Catering.
About the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, now in its 63rd season, is considered one of America’s leading orchestras, known for the excellence of its live performances, presentations, renowned choruses, and its impressive list of Grammy Award-winning recordings. The leading cultural organization in the Southeast, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra serves as the cornerstone for artistic development and music education in the region. Under the creative partnership of Music Director Robert Spano, Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, and President and CEO Allison Vulgamore since September 2001, the Orchestra and audiences have been invigorated through innovative programming, recordings, and visual enhancements, such as the “Theater of a Concert,” the ASO’s continuing exploration of different formats, settings, and enhancements for the musical performance experience. Also emerging from the partnership is the Atlanta School of Composers, the Orchestra’s commitment to nurturing and championing contemporary music defining a new generation of American composers.
This year, the Atlanta Symphony celebrates its 30-year relationship with the Telarc, one of the few American orchestras to have a continuing association with a major record label. During that time, the Orchestra has recorded more than 100 albums and its recordings have won 26 Grammy Awards in categories including Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance, and Best Opera Performance. The ASO Chorus has earned a nine Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance, most recently for the Berlioz Requiem in 2005.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs more than 200 concerts each year to a combined audience of more than a half million in a full schedule of performances which also feature educational and community concerts. A recognized leader and supporter
of contemporary American music, the Orchestra recently received the 2007 award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. In addition, Music Director Robert Spano was named Musical America 2008 Conductor of the Year. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s special artistic initiatives surrounding The Atlanta School of Composers, “Theater of a Concert,” recordings, commissions, and premieres are being funded in part by a recent $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
On May 10, 2008, Mr. Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will open the 12,000-seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park (www.vzwamp.com ), making it the only U.S. orchestra to annually perform and present in its concert hall, and in two amphitheaters. In June 2008, the Orchestra will celebrate 35 years at legendary Chastain Park Amphitheater, the award-winning 6,500 seat venue in Atlanta, during the ASO’s 2008 Delta Classic Chastain concert series (www.classicchastain.com).
For more information about this event or other exciting ASO events
please visit www.atlantasymphony.org.