What’s Happening at FPCM
Coaching at the Pond
Franklin Pond alum, Josiah Coe (2005 & 2006), is coaching and playing the Dohnanyi “Serenade” with Emily Rader and Julia Gaines for the second half of the year. What fun to have him back teaching for us!
First Live Masterclass of 2021!
Four Franklin Pond groups played in the first live masterclass of the year on Tuesday, January 12. This was part of our live Fall Into Spring program, which is being held in Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. The students were thrilled to perform and get coaching from David Coucheron, concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and his sister Julie Coucheron, a fabulous pianist, both of whom can be heard in concerts all over the U.S. and abroad.
Big Award for Franklin Pond & ProjectPR!
Our PR genius, Lucy Crosswell of ProjectPR, entered the 2020 (all virtual) Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competition to compete for the much sought after Phoenix Awards, and we are one of the finalists!
Fall Into Spring is underway!
Fall Into Spring is off to a great start. Live coaching has begun and, with everyone is being very careful to follow all COVID-19 regulations, we are looking forward to another successful season. When they sound this good at the first coaching session, we can’t wait to hear them in a few months!
Live outdoor concerts by Franklin Pond Quartet
The Franklin Pond Quartet and flutist Christina Smith gave live outdoor concerts at Lenbrook senior living in September and at Common Table Church Saturday, October 17. After being quarantined for so long, it is wonderful to see people enjoying live music again, of course socially distant. The people may be masked, but the music isn’t. It is better than ever!
(images courtesy of Common Table Church)
[Read More…]
Carolyn Hancock & Emily Rader play at Peachtree Christian Church
Emily Rader (2018-19, 2019, 2020, 2020-21 student) and her teacher and Franklin Pond faculty member, Carolyn Hancock, played Bach and Mozart together in Peachtree Christian Church on Sunday, October 18. They performed the Mozart in two live Franklin Pond Summer Intensive concerts last summer.
Fall Into Spring program will be LIVE starting in September
Apply soon and get started early. We are all set for live coaching and rehearsals at The Pond and other possible venues as they open up. We will have live and virtual masterclasses and other opportunities throughout the school year. And don’t forget about the Competition on May 30, 2021 (updates for a live event coming soon). The longer you are together as a group, the better you will sound by Competition time!
Summer Intensive Program mixes live and virtual at The Pond
Music of Barrière, Beethoven, Haydn, and Mendelssohn is wafting across the Pond. The Summer Intensive program has been going very well, both live and virtually. All the students and faculty have adhered to our Covid rules faithfully and still been able to play and learn together. We’ve had fabulous opportunities to connect with artists from all over the country, starting out with good information about Alexander Technique with David Nesmith and Body Mapping with William Johnston. Then Nick Curry, cellist from Univ. of N. Florida, Annie Fullard, violinist of the Cavani Quartet, and Timothy Eddy, cellist of the Orion Quartet worked virtually with each of the groups. The kids also had an open and honest talk with “ThatViolaKid” YouTube star Drew Forde, who is a Franklin Pond alumnus. Three live outdoor concerts and a YouTube final performance are planned to round out a most wonderful and rewarding summer.
Franklin Pond Quartet plays at Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Franklin Pond Quartet played at the Atlanta Botanical Garden sponsored by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. So good to see an audience again! Good social-distancing and mask-wearing!
Franklin Pond performs at Canterbury
We were thrilled to premier a short piece T.J.Anderson wrote for our performances at Canterbury Court Retirement Community called “Canterbury Court Rag”. TJ has always been so supportive of us and our kids. We loved seeing him, his wife, and his daughter. The Franklin Pond Quartet and Christina Smith gave a concert in the garden on Thursday, June 25 to an appreciative, masked, and socially-distanced audience — some listening from their balconies. How good it is to enjoy live music after so much time away!
Summer Intensive Program Gets Underway!
We’re off to a great start! The kids already sound good. All COVID-19 regulations are in place: 6 feet apart, masks, temperature checks, screening questions before entering, hand sanitizer, soap, and kids who were really good at adhering to all! The first day was exhausting and so rewarding!
[Read More…]
