Miton, Alpharetta High Bands To Perform At Amphitheater

Courtesy Appen Newspapers / www.northfulton.com

Members of Alpharetta and Milton's high school bands will join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for a performance of "Seventy-Six Trombones" in the opening celebration of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park on Saturday, May 10.

The 320 high school students will perform the song with the ASO at the close of the first half of the concert, which is the inaugural concert at the new venue being built on Encore Parkway just west of Westside Parkway near Ga. 400 in Alpharetta.The concert will be led by Music Director Robert Spano, featuring the Marcus Roberts Trio performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, plus the final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Ode to Joy" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Also on the program are great Broadway works by Bernstein and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Soloists will be Christine Brewer, Elizabeth Bishop, Vinson Cole and Gordon Hawkins.Just two weeks later, some of those same students are likely to be on stage once again, but this time to graduate.

The Alpharetta High School Class of 2008 will hold its graduation at the amphitheatre Saturday, May 24.The ASO continues its six decades of community concerts with a free ASO Connects performance Thursday, Aug. 14 at the amphitheatre. In recent years, the ASO had scheduled this performance at the Wills Park Equestrian Center's covered arena. Assistant Conductor and League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow Mei-Ann Chen will lead the orchestra"Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park exemplifies the Orchestra's overall mission as a performer, presenter, and educator" said Atlanta Symphony Orchestra President and Managing Director Allison Vulgamore. "We embrace this opportunity to extend our footprint into North Fulton County, expanding our audience through this new venue with classical performances, popular concerts, and community, educational, and family events."

"We are thrilled to align with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to play a key role in the building of this new, first-class, outdoor entertainment venue in the North Atlanta area," said Jeff Mango, president – Georgia/Alabama Region for Verizon Wireless. "With over 2,000 employees in the general vicinity of the amphitheater, it's a great location for us and we look forward to our growing presence in the community."

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park will feature concerts with the ASO, leading popular presentations, as well as an emphasis on community events – including high school graduations, local fund-raising events, and collaborations to create family-themed days, high school music concerts and competitions.

In addition to the May 10 opening, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform eight other concerts in the summer of 2008, most of which will be led by Music Director Robert Spano:Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m.: An all-Beethoven evening with Spano;Friday, July 4, 8 p.m.: An Independence Day concert featuring works by Copland, Bernstein, Christopher Theofanidis, Tchaikovsky, and Sousa with Spano;Saturday, July 12, 8 p.m.: An all-Tchaikovsky concert with violinist Robert McDuffie and Spano;Tuesday, July 22: A semi-staged performance of Puccini's La Bohème with Mr. Spano and sopranos Norah Amsellem and Georgia Jarman, tenor Marcus Haddock, baritones Fabio Capitanucci and Christopher Schaldenbrand, and basses Denis Sendov and Kevin Glavin — the same cast featured on the ASO's upcoming recording of the opera, which will be released by Telarc in advance of this concert;Friday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m.: A performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Garrick Ohlsson and Spano;Family eventsSaturday, Aug. 2, 8 p.m.: An evening with Julie Andrews;Saturday, Aug. 16, 8 p.m.: A musical evening featuring Turner Classic movies led by Richard Kauffman.