ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS TO PERFORM

ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS TO PERFORM

WITH COLQUITT COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL A CAPELLA & CCHS WOMEN'S CHORALE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2012
COLQUITT COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
WITHER'S AUDITORIUM

PERFORMANCE TO REACH OUTLYING COMMUNITIES

AS PART OF SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION’S TRAVELING EXHIBITION

NEW HARMONIES: CELEBRATING AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC

Program To Feature Atlanta Symphony Musicians

And The Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir

As part of the traveling exhibition, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a chamber ensemble of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians will join the Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir to perform “Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands” — a collaborative program of African-American spirituals and slave songs native to Georgia — on Sunday, November 11, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. in the Colquitt County High School Wither's Auditorium.

The music will be brought to life through arrangements and original compositions by Atlanta Symphony violinist Juan Ramirez and bassist Michael Kurth. Participating Atlanta Symphony musicians include violinists Olga Shpitko and Carolyn Hancock, violist Yang-Yoon Kim, cellist Karen Freer, bassist Michael Kurth, and trumpeter Karin Bliznik.

This concert is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, which is made possible by the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia, Georgia Council for the Arts, and Georgia Department of Economic Development. Georgia is the only state included in this national tour which is partnering with an Orchestra. The 12-city touring exhibit will include visual displays, lectures, and performances. Over the next year, the New Harmonies exhibit will continue through Moultrie, Toccoa, Bremen, Thomson, Nashville, Americus, Waycross, and LaGrange, Ga. The exhibit can be seen at the Colquitt County Arts Center in Moultrie October 27–December 1, 2012.

“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra embraces its responsibility to enrich lives through the power of music,” Atlanta Symphony Orchestra President Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D., has said. “Music comes in many forms which impact us in different ways — none more significant than how it shapes our history and defines who we are. It is important for people to have the opportunity to experience music in ways that are meaningful to them. This is why New Harmonies is such a great project in which to take part. It allows us to further our mission by sharing music with people all around the state.”

As a presenting partner for the New Harmonies tour, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will extend access to its education, community, and concert programming to a broader geographic reach throughout the state of Georgia, while boosting local music participation, education, appreciation, and advocacy in each of the communities it reaches. Through this partnership, the Orchestra will present a series of community and education events to accompany the exhibition in each of the 12 tour destinations.

About the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, now in its 68th season, consistently affirms its position as one of America’s leading Orchestras by performing great music, presenting great artists, nurturing young talent, and engaging with the community… (more)

About the Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir

The Colquitt County High School A Cappella Choir has been in existence since the 1930's.  The ensemble has performed in Europe numerous times, the most recent being in Spain in 2011, and has given performances at the Georgia Music Educators Association convention and the American Choral Directors Association regional convention.  The Choir boasts numerous awards and has performed around the country from New York to Hawaii, and many times for the community of Colquitt County, including numerous church performances.  Choir Director, Travis Kern, is in his first year at Colquitt County High School and has been teaching for 20 years at the Junior High Level.

About New Harmonies

New Harmonies in Georgia is led by Honorary Chair Sandra Deal, First Lady of Georgia, and Chair Rose Lane Leavell. New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music has been made possible in Georgia by the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia, Georgia Council for the Arts, and Georgia Department of Economic Development.

New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the U.S. Congress.

More information about the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibit is available at georgiahumanities.org/newharmonies.

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“SONGS OF THE GEORGIA SEA ISLANDS”

Colquitt County High School Wither's Auditorium

1800 Park Avenue, Moultrie, Georgia 31768

Sunday, November 11, 2012, 4:00 p.m.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians

Olga Shpitko, violin

Carolyn Hancock, violin

Yang-Yoon Kim, viola

Karen Freer, cello

Michael Kurth, bass

Karin Bliznik, trumpet

“Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands”

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Moultrie media contact:

Jane Simpson

Artistic Director, Colquitt County Arts Center

djsarts@windstream.net, 229.985.1922 ext.25