In Wednesday’s (2/5) Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Howard Pousner reports that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra “is announcing Wednesday that the 31-year-old [Joseph] Young, who most recently served as resident conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, will become its assistant conductor starting June 1.… While Young’s contract with the ASO is officially one year, it could be extended once the conductor learns the orchestra and vice versa.… Young fills a full-time position that has been vacant since the term of Mei-Ann Chen, a League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow, ended in 2009.” His duties are to include serving as cover conductor for the music director and guest conductors; as the primary conductor for ASO education and community concerts; and as music director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he will succeed Jere Flint, who is retiring from that post after a 35-year tenure. “ ‘No one’s ever told me that I couldn’t be a conductor because I’m African-American,’ Young said. ‘I always think about being on the podium, giving kids of any race an opportunity to see someone of my age, how hard I’ve worked, letting them know this is something they can do as well.’ ”
Posted February 5, 2014
