Robert Spano Will Lead The ASO In Haydn's THE CREATION

Music Director Robert Spano will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus in an ASO Theater of a Concert presentation of Haydn's The Creation. Set designer Anne Patterson and Projection Designer Adam Larsen, whose work has enhanced the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's performances of St. John Passion and Gorecki's Third Symphony, return to design Joseph Haydn's The Creation in Atlanta Symphony Hall on February 26 and 28, 2008 at 8:00 pm. Soloists include soprano Janice Chandler, tenor Thomas Cooley, and bass Derrick Parker.

Haydn's vivid portrait of the seven days of creation as described in the Book of Genesis is part of the ASO's Theater of a Concert initiative to explore different formats, settings, and enhancements of the musical performance experience.

"Inherently, concerts are theatrical because they take place on a stage. Certain repertoire further invites theatrical treatment affording us an opportunity to enhance the concert experience in powerful ways," said Music Director Robert Spano. "That's the philosophy behind the ASO Theater of a Concert."

To create a concert experience, various visual elements have been brought into the concert hall. In past seasons, this has included film and projected images synchronized with the music, lighting effects, art installations, and semi-staged performances of operas creating a marriage of the auditory and the visual, allowing concertgoers to connect with the music on multiple levels.

For The Creation, Anne Patterson and Adam Larsen have designed a production that will incorporate a large screen with projected images that invoke natural and conceptual representations of the beginning of time. Triangles, made of reflective materials, will be suspended above the soloists and the chamber chorus, who will be elevated on risers positioned at abstract angles surrounding the Orchestra.

Designer and Co-Director Anne Patterson will show slides illuminating her artistic vision at a pre-concert lecture on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 7:00pm in the Circle Room on the third floor of the Woodruff Arts Center's Memorial Arts Building.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Spano is recognized internationally as one of the most imaginative conductors of his generation. Since 2001 he has invigorated and expanded the ASO's repertoire through a creative programming mix, recordings, and visual enhancements, such as ASO Theater of a Concert, a continuing exploration of different formats, settings, and enhancements for the musical performance experience. Mr. Spano also champions the Atlanta School of Composers, his commitment to nurturing and championing music through multi-year partnerships defining a new generation of American composers.

Mr. Spano has conducted the great orchestras of North America, including those in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Overseas he has led the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra FilarMonica Della Scala, Czech Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Sinfonie Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic and Tonhalle Orchester. He has conducted the Chicago, Houston, Santa Fe, Royal Opera at Covent Garden and Welsh National Operas. In August 2005 he conducted Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at Seattle Opera, and returns for the cycle in 2009. With a discography of nine critically acclaimed recordings for Telarc and Deutsche Grammophon made over six years, Robert Spano has garnered six Grammy® Awards.

Musical America's 2008 Conductor of the Year, Mr. Spano was Artistic Director of the Ojai Festival in 2006, Director of the Festival of Contemporary Music at the Boston Symphony

Orchestra's Tanglewood Music Center in 2003 and 2004 and from 1996 to 2004 was Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Head of the Conducting Fellowship Program at Tanglewood Music Center from 1998-2002, he has served on the faculties of Bowling Green State University, Curtis Institute and Oberlin Conservatory. Mr. Spano lives in Atlanta.

Anne Patterson is a set and costume designer based in New York City, where her design work has appeared at Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center; the Juilliard School; the Brooklyn Academy Of Music; the NY Theater Workshop; the Ensemble Studio Theater; The Joyce; and St. Mark's Dance Space. She has designed fourteen operas including one world premiere and three US premieres for the Aspen Music Festival. She has made her designs for Arena Stage in DC; Alliance Theater in Atlanta; the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia; the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; the Philadelphia Orchestra; the Fisher Center at Bard College; Red {an orchestra}, Cleveland, OH; Pacific Northwest Ballet; Ballet West; the Houston Ballet; The Kennedy Center; Wolf Trap; and in Europe for The National Theatre, London and the Scottish Ballet. PBS and the BBC have featured Ms. Patterson's production design work as well.

Adam Larsen is a New York based artist, projection designer and filmmaker. Projection designs include: Hal Prince's, LoveMusik (Broadway); the world premieres of The Women of Brewster Place (ALLIANCE THEATRE & Arena Stage) and Christmas Carol 1941 (Arena Stage) both directed by Molly Smith; Carmina Burana and projection coordinator for Dancing Joni (Alberta Ballet); From the House of the Dead (Canadian Opera Company); Lily Plants a Garden (Mark Taper P.L.A.Y.); Gorecki's Symphony No.3 (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra); Quartet (Aspen Santa Fe Ballet); numerous productions with both Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and the Fulton Opera House including the world premiere of The French Lieutenant's Woman; and most recently big, a collaboration between the Atlanta Ballet and Big Boi from Outkast and The Gospel at Colonus at the Herod Atticus theatre in Athens. He holds a BFA in Cinematography from the North Carolina School of the Arts and is currently self-producing a feature length documentary on autism entitled Neurotypical.

Acclaimed for the beauty, precision and expressive qualities of its singing, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus has been an important part of the orchestra's programming since its founding by the late Robert Shaw. The Chamber Chorus, which debuted on Dec. 14, 1967, is composed of 40-60 volunteers selected by audition from the ranks of the ASO Chorus, who meet for extra rehearsals and perform with the ASO each season. The Chamber Chorus performs music of the Baroque and Classical eras, as well as works by modern masters such as Golijov, Tavener, Pärt, Paulus, Poulenc and Britten. Highlights of the ASO Chamber Chorus's history include a residency with the ASO and Robert Spano for California's Ojai Festival, participation with the ASO in Telarc recordings of masterworks by Bach, Golijov, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Vivaldi and a 2005 a cappella recording that features the Vaughan Williams Mass under Norman Mackenzie, an appearance on national television in 1987 performing Handel's Messiah with Robert Shaw, and several Carnegie Hall appearances, which include performances of the B-Minor Mass, the Matthew and John Passions of Bach, the Rachmaninoff Vespers and the Mozart/Levin Requiem.

Norman Mackenzie has been Director of Choruses since 1999, following the death of the legendary Robert Shaw, who founded the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus. Mr. Mackenzie had worked closely with Mr. Shaw for 14 years and is building and creating anew upon the foundation that is the Robert Shaw Chorus. Under Mr. Mackenzie, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus has won two Grammy® Awards for Vaughan Williams's A Sea Symphony and the Berlioz Requiem, and conducted the ASO Chamber Chorus in its own Telarc recording. Mr. Mackenzie prepared the ASO Chorus for its acclaimed Berlin Philharmonic debut in Britten's War Requiem conducted by ASO Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles in 2003. In November 2009 he returns with them to Carnegie Hall and in

Soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme first gained international prominence as among the great Robert Shaw's soloists of choice. Other distinguished conductors with whom she collaborates include Marin Alsop, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Jo Ann Falletta, Claus Peter Flor, Neal Gittleman, Raymond Harvey, Carlos Kalmar, Yakov Kreizberg, Raymond Leppard, Christof Perick, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alfred Savia, Robert Spano, Vladimir Spivakov, Edo de Waart and Hugh Wolff; appearing with the Los Angeles and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras; Boston, NHK (Japan), Montreal, Vancouver, Phoenix, Kansas City and Santa Rosa Symphonies; Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Rochester Philharmonics; and Philadelphia Orchestra, among many others. Festival invitations include Bard, Grant Park, Aspen, Chautauqua, Prague Autumn and Blossom.

Ms. Chandler-Eteme's recordings include an inspirational solo disc (Devotions), the DvoÍák Te Deum with Zdenek Macal and the New Jersey Symphony and a forthcoming world-premiere recording of Maslanka's Mass. She holds a B.A. in vocal performance from Oakwood College and a M.M. in vocal performance from Indiana University. She has studied with Virginia Zeani, Margaret Harshaw and Todd Duncan.

Tenor Thomas Cooley appears throughoutEurope and the U.S. with major orchestras and ensembles such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Bach Collegium Stuttgart, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. His concert repertoire encompasses over 400 years of music including the works of Monteverdi, Bach, Händel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Elgar, Kodaly, Britten, and Penderecki. As an operatic performer, his repertoire ranges from Monteverdi and Händel, through Mozart and Rossini, to the present day. As a member of the ensemble at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, he sang such roles as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the title role in Idomeneo, and Count Almaviva in Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia.

Recent CD recordings include Händel's Athalia with Peter Neumann and the Kölner Kammerchor (MDG) and the world premiere recording of Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus for Deutsche Grammophon. He appears in the title role on a recording of Handel's Samson with the Festival Orchestra Gottingen/McGegan, to be released by Carus in early 2009.

Bass-Baritone Derrick Parker's performances in the 2008-09 season include Alidoro in La Cenerentola in a return to Fort Worth Opera and Escamillo in Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara. He also sings his first performances of Haydn's Creation with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Robert Spano, Mozart's Requiem with the Utah Symphony, as well as Messiah with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall, Bach's Mass in B minor with the New Choral Society, and a gala concert with Opera Birmingham. In the 2007-08 season, he returned to Fort Worth Opera for Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Chautauqua Opera for Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He also sang his first performances of Alidoro in La cenerentola with Portland Opera and reprised the role in a return to Utah Opera as well as sang the Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Pacific and Colline in La Bohème with Cleveland Opera. In the summer of 2008, he returned to join Cape Town Opera on tour in Oslo and Berlin, reprising Crown in Porgy and Bess.

Derrick Parker is the recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshanna Foundation as well as a Sullivan Foundation Award. Among his other awards are prizes from the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation and Liederkrantz Foundation. He is a former member of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera Studio Program as well as Glimmerglass Opera's Young American Artist program, Wolf Trap Opera' FileNe Young Artist Program, and the programs of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Chautauqua Opera. He holds a Master of Music from Eastman School of Music where he sang Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, his first performances of Collatinus, and Voltaire and Pangloss in Candide and earned his Bachelor of Music from Florida State University.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, now in its 64th season, is considered one of America's leading orchestras, known for the excellence of its live performances, presentations, renowned choruses, and its impressive list of Grammy® Award-winning recordings. The leading cultural organization in the Southeast, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra serves as the cornerstone for artistic development and music education in the region. Under the creative partnership of Music Director Robert Spano, Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, and President and CEO Allison Vulgamore since September 2001, the Orchestra and audiences have been invigorated through innovative programming, recordings, and visual enhancements, such as ASO Theater of a Concert, the ASO's continuing exploration of different formats, settings, and enhancements for the musical performance experience. Also emerging from the partnership is the Atlanta School of Composers, the Orchestra's commitment to nurturing and championing contemporary music through multi-year partnerships with living American composers. Since the beginning of his tenure, Mr. Spano and the ASO have performed nearly 100 contemporary works (composed since 1950), including seven ASO-commissioned world premieres, two additional world premieres, and one U.S. premiere.

Last year, the Atlanta Symphony celebrated a 30-year relationship with Telarc, one of the few American orchestras to have a continuing association with a major record label. During that time, the Orchestra has recorded more than 100 albums and its recordings have won 26 Grammy® Awards. Combined, Mr. Spano and Mr. Runnicles have recorded 16 albums (including four ASO commissions), and released 11 albums to date (nine on Telarc, two on Deutsche Grammophon), which have won eight Grammy Awards - including Atlanta School composers Jennifer Higdon's City Scape, Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar, and Christopher Theofanidis' The Here and Now - in categories including Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance, and Best Opera Performance. In July 2008, Telarc released the ASO's recording of Puccini's La Bohème, the first American recording of the opera since 1956. The ASO Chorus has earned nine Grammy® Awards for Best Choral Performance, most recently for the Berlioz Requiem in 2005.

Since 2001 the Orchestra has received national attention with performances under Mr. Spano in debuts at the Ojai and Ravinia Music Festivals, two tours of Florida, and regular appearances at Carnegie Hall (including their in April 2008 with the Atlanta ASO Chorus). In addition, Mr. Runnicles has conducted the ASO Chamber Chorus at Carnegie Hall in the Mozart Requiem with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and in May 2008 he returns with the ASO Chorus to Berlin, for the second time, to perform the Berlioz Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic.

During the 2007-08 season, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra received unprecedented recognition. The Orchestra received the 2007 award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; Music Director Robert Spano was named Musical America 2008 Conductor of the Year; and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's special artistic initiatives surrounding The Atlanta School of Composers, ASO Theater of a Concert, recordings, commissions, and premieres are being funded in part by a recent $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. With the opening of the 12,000-seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park (vzwamp.com), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra became the first U.S. orchestra to annually perform and present in its concert hall and in two amphitheaters. In June 2008, the Orchestra celebrated 35 years at legendary Chastain Park Amphitheater, the award-winning 6,500 seat venue in Atlanta, during the ASO's Delta Classic Chastain concert series (classicchastain.com).

This concert is part of the Delta Classical Concert Series. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's special artistic initiatives surrounding The Atlanta School of Composers, ASO Theater of a Concert, recordings and commissions are generously funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Single tickets for these performances are $16 to $73. All single tickets for the 2008-09 season will be available online at atlantasymphony.org or by calling (404) 733-5000. Tickets may also be purchased at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office located in the Woodruff Arts Center at 15th and Peachtree Streets. Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 8pm.