Board Member Anne Lester
The musical world of Atlanta will miss our board member emeritus Anne Lester who passed away Easter Sunday morning ("in time", said Bill Britt at her funeral, "to sing the…
Chamber Music Competition Judges
We are excited to announce Matt Albert and Eric Byers as judges for the 2018 Chamber Music Competition. The May 27th concert will include performances by the judges, the Franklin Pond Players, and, of course, the Competition winners. Mark the date on your calendars now and don’t miss this wonderful opportunity for a delightful afternoon of chamber music at Spivey Hall. (more…)
A Night with Atar Arad & Jun-Ching Lin
On Friday, March 9, our students were very honored to work with violist ATAR ARAD, formerly with the Cleveland Quartet and presently teaching at Indiana University. The Haydn Quartet group got to play with a temporarily new 1st violinist, our own coaching artists member Jun-Ching Lin, filling in for the evening. Several ASO musicians were there visiting their former teacher and coach. Thank you Atar, Jun-Ching, and all the wonderful young musicians who played so beautifully.
Classes with Noa Kageyama
On Sunday, January 14, we enjoyed three workshops with Juilliard performance psychologist Noa Kageyama: Beating Anxiety, Optimizing Focus for Peak Performance, and Practicing for Performance Success. Musicians of all ages were welcome and we had a full house for each one. Many people wrote afterwards to thank us for sponsoring these classes and said they were enormously helpful. (more…)
The Merling Trio Mini-Class
On October 28th, the Merling Trio of Western Michigan University plus Tom Knific on bass, performed a Gershwin medley for the entire Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and spoke to them about the value of chamber music study. Also on the short program was a portion of the Dvorak Piano Quintet played by our own Franklin Pond students of the Cincopation Quartet: Ava Posner, Harriet Skowronek, Lucy Gelber, Jordan Leslie, and Nicholas Lin. Bravo to them on short notice! The Merling Trio (quartet) will return in February for a full masterclass for all the Franklin Pond groups.
Eclectic and interesting student groups for the school year
Of the six groups Franklin Pond is coaching this school year, two of them came as pre-formed groups, having been together also last year school year. We love that because the longer the students are together, the better they play together, and the more rewarding it is for them and for the coaches.
Faculty News
Right after our Summer Finale Concert, Lachlan McBane went to Cleveland to play with the Cleveland Orchestra. This is the second time he has been invited to play with them, thanks to Principal Violist Wesley Collins who went to Cleveland several years ago from Atlanta. Wesley was also on the coaching artists of Franklin Pond.
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Summer Finale Concert
Congratulations to everyone on a GREAT Summer Finale Concert! The kids worked so hard and played very well, especially after studying and being together only four weeks. BRAVO!
Masterclass with Nick Curry
Saturday, July 29 was our dress rehearsal and last masterclass with Nick Curry of University of North Florida. Nick joined in all the festivities of the day; listening to all the groups at Kellett, our last lunch together at nearby Landmark Diner, and our last coaching sessions at the Pond. It’s always sad when the last person leaves!