JoAnn Falletta & Virginia Symphony to Record Naxos CD of Works of Adolphus Hailstork in May

[Adolphus Hailstork]

HamptonRoads.com

VSO conductor knows the sweet sound of success

By Teresa Annas

The Virginian-Pilot

© March 19, 2011

Fans here know her accomplishments. Since being hired in 1991, Falletta has transformed the Virginia Symphony into a respected organization that is ranked among the nation’s top orchestras.She gave the group ambition by heading to New York in 1997 for a concert at Carnegie Hall; the rave reviews brought confidence. Three years later, she took the symphony to the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Since then, she has led the symphony for 14 recordings, further spreading its reputation. In May, the symphony will record a program of works by Virginia Beach composer Adolphus Hailstork; the group’s 15th recording will be its first for Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label. Falletta has made more than 50 recordings in all and has two Grammy Awards to her credit.

She earned her 10th honor from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2008. That last ASCAP honor cited her many abilities but especially her “career-long advocacy for American composers that has made her a leading force for the music of our time.” As a conductor, she has premiered more than 100 works, here and elsewhere.

Outside of Virginia, Falletta is building her own reputation. Besides her work in Buffalo, she is a frequent guest conductor for orchestras worldwide and at the nation’s top summer festivals, such as Tanglewood. [Adolphus C. Hailstork (b. 1941) is an Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University and is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Awadagin Pratt Performs Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in Newport News Oct. 31

[Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Awadagin Pratt, piano; EMI 55290 (1996)

The African American pianist Awadagin Pratt has been Associate Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati since 2004. His website gives an overview of his life in music: “Born in Pittsburgh, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. At the age of 16, he entered the University of Illinois where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school's history to receive diplomas in three performance areas - piano, violin and conducting. In 1992 Mr. Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition and two years later was awarded a 1994 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has played numerous recitals throughout the U.S. including performances in New York at Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Chicago at Orchestra Hall.”

Awadagin Pratt has recorded A Long Way From Normal, EMI (1994); Beethoven Piano Sonatas, EMI (1996); Live From South Africa, EMI (1997); Transformations, EMI (1999); The Caveman's Valentine, CD & DVD, Decca (2001); and Play Bach, St. Lawrence String Quartet; Angel (2002). As an Associate Professor, pianist, artist-in-residence and conductor, Awadagin Pratt maintains a rigorous schedule of performances. At 8:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2008 he will perform the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in Newport News, Virginia with the Virginia Symphony, led by Larry Rachloff, conductor. Pratt will perform the same program with the Virginia Symphony in Norfolk Nov. 1 at 8:00 p.m., Virginia Beach Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m., and Newport News Nov. 6 at 8:00 p.m.