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Charlotte Symphony Set to Reach 3-Year Broadcast Agreement with WDAV - Warren-Green's First Concert to Be Broadcast Live

August 23, 2010, Charlotte & Davidson, NC: Today WDAV Classical Public Radio and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced an unprecedented three-year agreement to bring the area’s largest professional orchestra to the airwaves. Beginning with the 2010-11 season, WDAV will produce and broadcast seven of the CSO’s classical concerts each season through 2013. The agreement, forged among WDAV, CSO management, CSO musician representatives, and Local 342 of the American Federation of Musicians, is pending ratification by the full membership of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.

The first broadcast under the terms of the new pact will be a historic occasion: the CSO’s season-opening concert on Friday, September 24th, which also marks the debut of Christopher Warren-Green as the orchestra’s new Music Director. Beginning at 7 p.m., WDAV’s Jennifer Foster and Joe Brant will present the broadcast live on WDAV 89.9 and on wdav.org, direct from the Belk Theater of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The centerpiece of the concert will be the emerging superstar cellist Alisa Weilerstein making her CSO debut in the Cello Concerto in E Minor by Sir Edward Elgar.

“I am absolutely thrilled by this agreement, which I view as a critical step to the future of this orchestra,” said Warren-Green. “The Charlotte Symphony belongs to the people of this community, and our presence on WDAV will bring the orchestra to everyone – into their homes, their cars, their offices.”

“Bearing in mind that it must still be ratified by the members of the orchestra, this agreement represents a long-held desire by the musicians of the Charlotte Symphony to have a regular broadcast presence,” added CSO Orchestra Committee Chair Frank Portone. “I’m excited that we will have the opportunity to showcase the Symphony just as we embark on a new era of artistic excellence under Maestro Warren-Green.”

The CSO concerts will be a central feature of WDAV’s Carolina Live, a weekly showcase of the Carolinas’ best live classical-music performances, produced and broadcast jointly with the stations of South Carolina ETV Radio. “Since the show’s inception, we’ve regularly included live concert recordings from the Greensboro Symphony, The Asheville Symphony, the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Greenville (SC) Symphony, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra,” said WDAV General Manager Benjamin K. Roe. “Now, for the first time, we’ll be able to bring the crown-jewel orchestra of this region – The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra – to a wider and larger audience than at any time in the station’s history.”

“The Charlotte area is so fortunate to have a vibrant classical music station,” said Warren-Green. “In my work with the London Chamber Orchestra, I have witnessed first-hand the crucial role that electronic media play in engaging the public with great music and great orchestras. I look forward to continuing to build the Symphony’s wonderful partnership with WDAV.”

About the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: The Charlotte Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in the Charlotte region and the largest professional orchestra in the central Carolinas, employing more than 100 musicians, 62 on full-time contracts. The orchestra performs nearly 100 concerts each year, reaching more than 200,000 listeners. The CSO also operates the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras and the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte and is committed to broad educational outreach. The CSO is supported by ticket revenue, generous corporate and individual giving, and foundation grants and receives operating support from the N.C. Arts Council and the Arts & Science Council.

About WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio: WDAV is one of America’s leading producers of original classical-music programming. In addition to producing 140 hours per week for its own broadcast use on its HD-1, HD-2, and wdav.org channels, the station produces nationally-distributed programs, including NPR World of Opera, Radio Chopin, A Carolina Christmas with Kathy Mattea, and, in partnership with ETV Radio of South Carolina, Carolina Live and Spoleto Chamber Music. A service of Davidson College in Davidson, NC, WDAV’s 89.9FM signal reaches a 22-county region centered in the Charlotte, NC metro area and ranging from Rock Hill, SC to Galax, VA. WDAV’s broadcasts can be heard live online 24 hours a day at wdav.org and iTunes, as well as on any iPhone equipped with the Public Radio Player.

(Press release courtesy of WDAV.)

Four Students Named 2010 Kenan Music Scholars

August 9, 2010, Chapel Hill, NC: Two pianists, a trumpeter and a soprano make up the newest Kenan Music Scholars, who have received full scholarships in music to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall.

The 2010 scholars are Claire Brown, a pianist from Raleigh; Daniel Jones, a pianist from Hickory; John Parker, a trumpeter from High Point; and Emily Siar, a soprano from Greensboro.

This year, 180 musicians competed for the merit scholarships in the College of Arts and Sciences. A $4 million endowment created in 2006 by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust of Chapel Hill funds the awards.

The scholarships, valued at about $70,000 each over four years, cover tuition, fees, room, board and lessons. That amount includes a $6,000 allowance for study abroad, work with a particular performer, internships with elite music groups, attendance at music festivals and other music events, and travel to auditions for graduate school programs.

A faculty committee chose the recipients for academic excellence and outstanding ability in music.

Brown, a graduate of Enloe High School, has won a number of piano competitions. She performed as a soloist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra in May 2009. Her summer studies have taken her to the Brevard Festival and Converse College Summer Program. Her academic achievements include National Merit finalist and a nomination to the Presidential Scholars Program. She volunteers for Ten Thousand Villages in Raleigh and has served as treasurer for her school chapter of Amnesty International.

Jones, a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, won the Charlotte Young Artists Concerto Competition. He has won numerous piano competitions and was a soloist with the Western Piedmont Symphony. He also plays the violin and has served as concertmaster of his school orchestra. He attended the Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University during the summer of 2007. He has won first place in several mathematics and science tournaments and has served as a volunteer science tutor for elementary students.

Parker, a graduate of Southwest Guilford High School, has been first trumpet in several N.C. Allstate Honors Bands. He played in the Greensboro Youth Orchestra and attended N.C. Governor's School West in 2008 as well as the Coltrane Summer Jazz Camp. He also plays piano. An honors student at his high school, Parker was a member of the golf team, the environmental club and served as a volunteer for Relay for Life.

Siar, who graduated from Greensboro Day School, has won first place in several Greensboro youth vocal competitions and is an active performer in the community. In 2007, she attended the Brandeis University Summer Arts Program, and in 2009 was in the Walnut Hill Summer Opera Program. She is a regular vocal soloist at Temple Emanuel. An AP honors student, she volunteers for many community activities including ESL tutoring at elementary schools and working with disabled high school students at the Gateway Center.

"These accomplished and creative students are a wonderful match for the academic and musical environment at UNC," said Brent Wissick, Zachary Taylor Smith Distinguished Professor of Music and mentor to the Kenan Music Scholars. "The three classes of Kenan Music Scholars already in place at Chapel Hill are making strong contributions at the university, in North Carolina and at music festivals around the U.S. and Europe. We look forward to similar things from this new group."

(Press release provided by the UNC News Service.)