Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Releases Recording of Christopher Theofanidis' CREATION/CREATOR

The Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is today releasing its sixth recording titled "Christopher Theofanidis Creation/Creator" on its record label, ASO Media.

Distributed by Naxos of America, Creation/Creator features Music Director Robert Spano leading the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Creation/Creator is divided into movements, each showcasing vastly different texts, and utilizing very different musical approaches. The piece's 15 movements contain moments of poetry recitations, a capella choral pieces, straight-forward orchestral music, electric guitar, saxophone, percussion and vocal sections featuring soloists: soprano Jessica Rivera, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor, tenor Thomas Cooley, bass Evan Boyer and baritone Nmon Ford. The concert also featured the Atlanta Symphony Chorus and actors Steven Cole and Shannon Eubanks. The world premiere of Creation/Creator was presented in the Theater of a Concert format with stage direction by James Alexander.

The digital release will be available for download on iTunes and the physical release may be ordered online via www.aso.org/asomedia or Amazon.

The ASO Media label is one of the many hallmarks of Mr. Spano's 15-year tenure with the Orchestra, and the production team includes longtime Atlanta Symphony Orchestra collaborators Elaine Martone and Michael Bishop.

The Orchestra released its first recording on ASO Media in February 2011. The premiere ASO Media recording featured Music Director Robert Spano leading the Orchestra in Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon's concerto, On A Wire, featuring "eighth blackbird." Michael Gandolfi's choral work, QED: Engaging Richard Feynman, featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus was also included on the recording. Both works were commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and given world-premiere performances in June 2010 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Ms. Higdon and Mr. Gandolfi are members of the Atlanta School of Composers.

Two additional ASO Media recordings with Mr. Spano and the Orchestra were also released in 2011: the June 2011 recording features the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's commission of Symphony from Christopher Theofanidis, also a member of the Atlanta School of Composers, and Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs; the October 2011 release -- an all-Rachmaninov recording -- features Garrick Ohlsson playing Piano Concerto No. 3, and also Symphonic Dances.

Mr. Spano and the Orchestra released their fourth album on ASO Media -- a recording of Sibelius' Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7-- in November 2013. Their fifth release, the GRAMMY-award winning all-Vaughan Williams recording titled The Lark Ascending, arrived in September 2014.

"A new CD release always marks an exciting time in the Orchestra's calendar of performing great music and presenting great artists," said Evans Mirageas, Vice President of Artistic Planning and Operations for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. "We remain especially pleased to have a distribution partnership with Naxos as ASO Media continues to grow with each recording. Together, we will ensure the Orchestra's recordings are available to music lovers around the globe."

To date, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its recordings have won 27 GRAMMY Awards.

Christopher Theofanidis' Creation/Creator will be performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the inaugural Shift Festival in the spring of 2017. Shift, a festival of American Orchestras is co-presented by Washington Performing Arts and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

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