June 15, 2014: Two Franklin Pond alumni students organized and played in an afternoon recital at Kellett Chapel of Peachtree Presbyterian Church. College students Drew Forde (viola, FP 2007-2010) and Margeaux Maloney (violin, FP 2005), performed with students Alice Hong, and Khari Joyner and professional pianists Shirley Irek and Sharon Berenson in an eclectic program which included works…
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The four groups in Fall Into Spring this year left everyone in the audience proud and impressed on May 12, 2014. The students, including 10-year-old Madeline Chen, our first harpist, played beautifully. Several people mentioned how much progress they had all made since the first of the year. There were several returning students and it was…
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Congratulations to the members of the Franklin Pond Quartet and our director, Ronda Respess, on a beautiful performance with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall! On April 30, the ASO performed Britten’s War Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
On April 21, 2014, Franklin Pond’s Fall Into Spring students and parents enjoyed participating in a masterclass with Justin Bruns. Assistant Concertmaster Justin Bruns has been with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) since 2006 and holds the Mary and Cherry Emerson Chair. Actively involved in teaching and bringing music to…
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Franklin Pond Coach and Quartet member, Jun-Ching Lin, coached a Shostakovich Quartet at Walton High School on Monday, January 21st. Thanks to Perry Holbrook for inviting FPCM to coach the quartet which included three FPCM alumni, Eri Kudo (violin), Katherine Ng (violin), and Bailey Holbrook (cello).
On Monday, January 20, Franklin Pond hosted a teacher workshop and masterclass with guest artist Dr. Brenda Brenner of Indiana University. In the morning, area teachers enjoyed an inspiring and interactive session on string pedagogy, with topics ranging from setup and movement, to curriculum and child psychology. In the afternoon, Dr. Brenner coached the Fall…
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Franklin Pond alumni gathered at the Pond on December 27 to enjoy an evening of chamber music, food, and fun! We are already counting the days until the 2014 party!
On December 18, 2013, the Franklin Pond Quartet will perform holiday music at Crossroads Community Ministries. Crossroads provides a variety of services to help people who are homeless find shelter and stability. Each year, Crossroads: serves 60,000 meals to men, women and children who are homeless; provides 6,500 MARTA passes…
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Fall into Spring has started up! We are excited about our groups this year. We’ve even added a harp to the mix — what fun! We have one group this year that is quite young. Did you know we are trying now to get kids “hooked” at a younger age? At the request of the…
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On September 2, Franklin Pond held its first annual Labor Day String Festival. During the morning session, students in grades 4-6 were introduced to the basics of playing in a group without a conductor, and learned tips for sight-reading. The afternoon session was for older students in grades 7-12. Students enjoyed masterclasses on audition preparation, as…
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