Clay McKinney - President, Alabama Orchestra Association
I hope that everyone is off to a great start this year. We have exciting things happening in our state that I know will make our orchestra and string
programs even better. Among them is the ASTA
(American String Teacher’s
Association) Honor’s String Festival next month in Tuscaloosa. The ASTA Festival will be November 2nd-4th on the campus of the University of Alabama in the Moody Music Building. I was at the festival in 2011 and it is definitely one of the great parts of string education in our state and an excellent time for students to further increase their skills in orchestral playing. I encourage all of us to get involved with ASTA and send students to the festival. For more information visit
www.astabama.org.
I hope you all plan to attend the annual AMEA conference in January at the Renaissance in Montgomery. I know as orchestra teachers and performers we are busy teaching all week and playing many performances in the evenings and on weekends. This is our AOA, our voice in the state. We have a growing presence in our state and a responsibility to continue the health of that growth. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you come and be a part of your professional organization. Let your voice be heard and your presence known. I am giving this reminder now because I know all of us are setting up our calendars and budgets for the year. Please make room in both for the conference. Our general business meeting will be Friday, January 11th 3:15-5:30 in the conference center. Please make plans to attend. Back by popular demand is the reading session sponsored by J.W. Pepper. We will read through several titles for string orchestra so please bring your instrument to the conference. After our business meeting we will raffle off the titles. Entry in the raffle is free but you must attend the meeting to submit an entry. A very special highlight of the conference this year will be the performance of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Friday evening, January 11th. So, come to the meeting, see everyone and stick around for the performance. It will be a wonderful evening.
All State auditions are taking place and wrapping up around the state. Thank you to our dedicated district chairs for making the auditions a smooth and successful process. Those district chairs are: Northern – Daniel Jamieson and Jacob Frank, Central – Sarah Nordlund & Zak Enikeev, East Central –
14 October/November 2012
Roland Lister, West Central – Dr. Anne Witt, South Central – Sarah Schrader, South West – Felicia Sarubin, South East – Eugene Conner. We couldn’t do it without these people and so thank you again.
I want to remind everyone about the expansion of the orchestra Sinfonia at the festival. This group will now include winds, brass and percussion. We are very excited about this and excited that so many have signed up to be a part of it. Conducting the inaugural year will be Brandon Keith Brown. Maestro Brown has distinguished himself as one of the country’s leading young conductors. We are excited to have him and excited about the program he has selected. The program For Sinfonia will be Dance of the Tumblers by Rimsky Korsakov arranged by David Stone, Two South American Tangos by A.G. Villoldo and Matos Rodriguez arranged by Merle J. Isaac, Scherzo Movement III from Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner arranged by Vernon Leidig, Sheep May Safely Graze by J.S. Bach arranged by Lucien Cailliet and Russian Sailor’s Dance by Reinhold Gliere arranged by Belisario Errante.
As always the programming for the Festival Orchestra will be outstanding. Steven Byess will be conducting in a performance of Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka, Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, IV. Allegro con Fuoco from Symphony No 9, “From the New World” by Antonin Dvorak and the world premiere of the winning piece from our composition contest. We are also very excited about our conductor for the Consort Orchestra. Dr. David Eccles comes to us from Vandercook College where he is director of String Music Education and
Orchestral Activities. Dr. Eccles is a frequent guest conductor all across the country so you definitely don’t want to miss this experience. You can read more about him and our other conductors at the AOA website.
If you are in need of financial aid please make use of our scholarship funds. The deadline is very strict, October 15th, for all financial aid applications. Please get those applications in on time if you need assistance.
For interested exhibiters there are four potential exhibit locations in the Moody Music Building during the festival. Exhibitors may set up any time after 4:00 pm on Thursday, February 7 and remain until the concert is over on Sunday afternoon, February 10. Exhibitors are not required to be present at all times and may choose to use any periods within this time frame. There will be no reduction in fee for reduced usage. AOA President Clay McKinney must receive all requests for exhibitor space via email at
musicalistening@gmail.com before January 31, 2013. Two prime locations are available in the lobby. There is a $500 fee for each spot and use of space includes up to three 6’ tables. A $100 deposit is required to reserve a lobby spot. Two other locations in the building, closer to rehearsal rooms but with less space, will be made available at $100 each to the first two requestors. Use of these spaces includes one 6’ table each. For more information, please visit our website and click on the 2013 festival link.
Thank you as always for all that you do to educate our young string players. It is a pleasure serving as your president and I look forward to a fabulous year.
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