Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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12 MAY 4-10, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS CAREER JOB FAIR 1944 Cedar Creek Road May 5, 2016 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Dogwood Room All Positions Come prepared to interview Next season the Fayet teville Sym- phony Orchestra begins searching for a new conductor. This in itself is exciting, but even more so is the level of commu- nit y involvement the orchestra is including in the search. Out of 273 applicants, five finalists have been chosen. They are invited to plan and conduct one concert each, which has inspired the season's name, "The Final Five." Af ter each concert, audiences are invited to submit surveys that will contribute to the decision of which conductor will be hired. "We really want to give the communit y a chance to weigh in," Christine Kastner the Fayet teville Symphony Orchestra president and CEO said. In addition to the actual concert, each guest conductor will come to Fayet teville a week early. In this time they will meet the Fayet teville Symphony Board, tour local universities, meet donors and supporters and participate in an open town hall meeting. These are all also opportunities for the communit y to provide feedback on this decision. "We are very excited," Kastner said. "We have five excellent candidates and we want everyone to come out and meet them this next season. We will have opportunities like free town hall meetings and free pre-concert talks. There are also opportunities to complete surveys for the transition com - mit tee as they try to pick the new conductor." The first finalist is Al Sturgis. His 20 years of conducting experience includes the Tar River Orchestra, Carolina Ballet and North Carolina Mas- ter Choral. He starts off the season in October with the concert titled Fall Spooktacular. This will feature a mixture of classical and popular works — all with a fun Halloween theme. The next finalist is Stefan Sanders with the concert titled Czech it Out. This references the Symphony No. 8 composed by Antonin Dvorak, the final piece of the show. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 will also be featured. Sander's also has a long list of qualifications. He is the Associate Conduc- tor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Music Director of the Round Rock Symphony located in Texas. The award-winning Associate Conductor of the Kansas Cit y Symphony Aram Demirjian will make his appearance in December with the concert titled Waltzing in a Winter Wonderland. This concert will feature not only the beloved holiday sing-a-long but also popular songs such as "W hite Christmas" and "Polar Express." T he search for t he new conduc tor w ill resume in Febr uar y w it h Joseph Young and a Wild, Wild West t heme. He is t he A ssist ant Conduc tor of t he At lant a Sy mphony and Music Direc tor of t he At lant a Sy mphony Yout h Orchest ra . He a lso has received prest ig ious awards for his conduc t ing sk ills. T he concer t w ill feat ure classic a l and popular pieces by Copland and John Williams. The final concert, Heroes Among Us, is planned for March. The guest conductor is Dina Gilbert. She is the Assistant Conductor for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal as well as an ensemble she founded called En - semble Arkea. Her focus of heroism will be interpreted though classical and popular works. All of these guest conductors have years of experiences laced with pres- tigious accolades. This is an opportunit y for the communit y to help shape the future of the Fayet teville Symphony Orchestra and the musical land- scape in Fayet teville. This season is not only unique, it is important. Be a part of these decisions. Find out more about the symphony at w w w.fayet te- villesymphony.org. Fayetteville Symphony Begins Search for New Conductor by ERINN CRIDER