The Albany Symphony Orchestra recently announced its 2016-2017 season, celebrating the 25th anniversary of music director David Alan Miller.
The 2016-17 season will be the ASO’s 87th. A December 8 concert to be headlined by cellist Yo-Yo Ma is just one of several standout programs, including six world premieres. Miller promises lots of young artists and new voices. "The sort of wonderful mixture that we've become I think kind of celebrated for. Something new, something old, something absolutely classic, but then something that's really fresh and right out of the box where we feel like we're the handmaidens of creation."
The anniversary season includes Beethoven's 9th Symphony, a weekend of Mozart and Bach, and the American Music Festival. Among the guest artists: pianists Natasha Pareminski and Ilya Rashkovskiy, violist Richard O'Neill, violinist Chee-Yun, Indian Folk-Clarinetist Shankar Tucker and oboist Kathleen Needleman.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan says the arts build bridges and create a sense of Albany as a region. "And I have always believed that the future of this region could be led by the arts showing us that when we work across borders and rivers and venues and we really truly bathe ourselves in the incredible cultural institutions that we have here, that we will start to see ourselves differently. Start to walk a little taller, hold our heads higher and stake our claim in the great Empire State."
Sheehan tipped her hat to Miller. "Under your leadership David, in 25 years, I can't believe how quickly it's gone. You have helped through the leadership of your incredible board, to be a part of that. And I am really looking forward to unleashing that potential as we move forward as a region, as a place that is growing and that is really beginning to again see itself as the crown jewel that it is, not only in this state, but in this country and in the world."
Miller has thoroughly enjoyed his Albany experience. "The reason I've stayed this long is because the work has stayed so challenging and interesting and exciting."
What does Miller consider the highlight of his 25 years? "Certainly going to the Grammy’s two years ago and then winning the Grammy for the recording we made of John Corigliano's Percussion Concerto, that was a great highlight, and our two trips to Carnegie Hall, as part of the Spring For Music Festival, when the full orchestra played at Carnegie."
