More ASO photos in local paper

The Alexandria Packett Gazette this week published photos from the July 11 City of Alexandria birthday celebration at Oronoco Park.

As you can see, if you weren't there this year, you're going to want to make sure you don't miss it in July 2010!

Below is special guest conductor Adron Krekeler with his wife Becky Mahood and ASO board member Donnie Wintermute. Krekeler won the honor to conduct the symphony at the annual SOLA Ball that was held in March.

Music was in the air at community birthday celebration

Thanks to the thousands who came out to Oronoco Bay Park to listen to the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra during Saturday's fireworks celebrating the nation's and the city's birthdays.

The amount of people there alone was exciting, but the sense of community was amazing! The musicians and Maestro Kim Allen Kluge did a great job on the big-band era hits, the patriotic numbers and even the themes from the Harry Potter movies! We all loved it when the whole crowd clapped along during Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever," and when people sang along with soloist Millicent Scarlett.

See some great photos of the crowd, the musicians and the fireworks by Alexandria News photographer Regan Kireilis, and a story by Carla Branch and Rebecca Newsham here.

Children's Festival was a huge success!

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s annual Children’s Arts Festival sold out on Sunday, June 7, with the more than 900 children and parents coming along for Adventures in Music.

For the hour before the concert began, the children were able to play with instruments ranging from hand bells to cellos in the instrument petting zoo, creating an amazing cacophony of sound in the lobby of the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Art Center. Outside, kids crowded the art tents -- creating their own guitars and drums out of balloons, rubber bands and cardboard boxes. Children and their parents also got help from the Del Ray Artisans, The Art League and the Torpedo Factory with drawings, paintings and screen
printings.

The concert was packed as Maestro Kim Allen Kluge, dressed as the Hobbit Frodo, told the crowd that “Little people can do big things,” and led the orchestra through selections from “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and Bugs Bunny’s “What’s Opera, Doc?” Student artwork created a splash of color projected in the darkened hall. Kluge also walked the children through a mini music class – singling out each type of instrument and describing a little about each so students would understand a bit more about what they were hearing.

For upcoming events, and information about the ’09-’10 season $5 youth matinee tickets, go to www.alexsym.org.


Photos by Susan Kinghton Cavanaugh

Gather the kids -- it's time for the Children's Arts Festival

Kill the Wabbit!


What's Opera, Doc? - The most amazing videos are a click away


What: Annual Children’s Arts Festival: “Adventures in Music,”
Featuring selections from soundtracks to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Fellowship of the Ring and Bugs Bunny’s What’s Opera, Doc?(Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries & Tannhäuser Overture)

When: Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 2 p.m. – activities at 2 p.m., concert at 3 p.m.

Where: Schlesinger Concert Hall, NOVA Community College, Alexandria campus, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA

Price: $5 general admission

Info: Call 703-548-0885 or visit www.alexsym.org for tickets

This year's Children's Art Festival promises to be a great family day full of arts and crafts, exploration, and music. Art created by Alexandria school children will be displayed. Children will be able to play with orchestra instruments and make their own instruments to take home using paper towel rolls and rubber bands.

Kids -- no matter if they are piano prodigies or just wear a hole in "Kidz Bop" -- will benefit from the experience of listening to a live orchestra. They will hear music from Bugs Bunny, The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The whole family can listen to powerful live music, dance, create and play all day for only $5 per person!

Help pass Obama's amazing arts budget

Last week, President Obama released his plans for funding the arts, and well, it's pretty fantastic news for those of us who love music and art.

As Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch noted in a press statement, "The president's proposed funding of $161 million would take the NEA to its highest funding level in 15 years and will help continue the upward trend of budgetary growth that Congress established several years ago. In contrast to the previous administration, this year's budget includes funding for the Arts in Education program at the Department of Education at $38.16 million."

Of course, this isn't the end. Please send a message to your senator and representatives to urge them to support the president's budget. Let's keep art in our public schools!