N.C. Symphony to travel to smaller communities

I remember in I believe third grade cramming the entire elementary school enrollment into a musty, humid gymnasium in Harnett County to hear the N.C. Symphony perform. Although the experience didn't turn me into a young classical music fan, I obviously remembered the event. (Of course, it was an "assembly," which meant time away from class.)

Now the N.C. Symphony, which reportedly visits 30-40 counties in the state a year, is looking to bring their music to the more rural and remote areas of the state.

"The new project will send soloists and small ensembles to local community colleges and public schools to offer performance and instruction, depending on how interested people there are," says the News & Observer.

"The initiative, which [was] publicly announced Wednesday, is a partnership between the symphony and the state's community colleges. It will be paid for with about $170,000 in U.S. Department of Education money, which is expected to cover costs for one year. ...

"The symphony hopes that new pockets of classical music fans might be unearthed in areas that have not had large enough audiences to support performances of the full 69-member orchestra, and also new benefactors might step forward to make those concerts possible. ..."

Marsalis, N.C. Symphony to record together

It was announced on Tuesday that the N.C. Symphony and saxophonist (and Durham resident) Branford Marsalis will go "into the studio" together, so to speak.

Marsalis will be featured on the first of two CDs the orchestra will release, said the News & Observer.

"The second disc, as previously announced, will be recorded with young acclaimed pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, who is in town for concerts with the orchestra this weekend. The recordings will begin next week in closed sessions with the artists at Meymandi Concert Hall," said the paper.

The Marsalis disc, which is expected to be released in about a year, will feature American composers, including world-premiere recordings of three works. Among them will be “Escapades” by John Williams, who re-crafted the piece for Marsalis from music he wrote for the Steven Spielberg film “Catch Me If You Can.”

Marsalis performed “Escapades” in his first appearance with the orchestra in February 2006. At the time, Marsalis told The News & Observer that he was increasingly branching out from his jazz career into symphonic music as a challenge to his skills.

The saxophonist, who has lived in Durham for several years, performed again with the orchestra last year, and in June he joined the symphony’s board of trustees. He recorded classical albums in 1986 and 2001.

The Sudbin CD is expected to be released in two years. Russian-born Sudbin, 28, will record piano concertos by Russian composers. The Daily Telegraph of London has called Sudbin “potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century.” He has an exclusive recording contract with BIS Records, which will produce these two discs. ...