The Albany Symphony Orchestra has been invited to Washington, D.C.to perform at the Kennedy Center for the first time in its history.
The ASO says it is one of four American orchestras selected to participate in "SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras." The week-long national program will shine a light on local orchestras, honoring their contribution to the arts. ASO Music Director David Alan Miller says the programs Albany is bringing to D.C. April 11th are "incredibly exciting." "Four orchestras were invited to this second ideration of the SHIFT festival, a co-collaboration of the Kennedy Center, Washington Performing Arts and the League of American Orchestras. And we're particularly honored and excited to be in company with three very impressive American orchestras: The National Symphony happens to be one of the orchestras that was invited this year, so they don't have very far to go since they're actually in residence at the Kennedy Center. But the Indianapolis Symphony and the Fort Worth Symphony were also invited."
SHIFT Orchestra Concerts
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan: "It's such an honor for the Albany Symphony Orchestra to be performing on a national stage, and I think that it demonstrates the quality and the caliber of the arts here, not just in the city of Albany, but in the Capital Region. That private place that we are world class, we know we're world class, we have world class Albany Symphony Orchestra, and that is going to be acknowledged when they perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington. It's gonna be very exciting and it's gonna be a great opportunity for Albany to get its story out about what an incredibly rich cultural city this is and be able to do that at that national level."
State Assemblywoman Pat Fahy notes the orchestra is a critical part of the community, one that transforms children's lives. She hails the Albany Symphony as "nothing short of extraordinary." "One of four orchestras in the country to be chosen is a true honor and a true distinction. of course, those of us in Albany would say, you know, 'they're finally learning what we've known for years.’"
ASO's offering, "The River Flows Through Us," explores the history of upstate New York through the lens of bodies of water that surround and connect communities, striking a chord with Congressman Paul Tonko. "The confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk as I define the district all the time on the House floor, defines us through those waterways, in very powerful expression. And just off the heels of this past year's successful Water Music, wonderful Water Music, we're enable to connect the music portion, the cultural arts, to the other assets that we have, the investments we make in innovation and technology through the ages. The first Tech Valley in the country. Now, centuries later, we get to celebrate in music who we are."
