“When the Annapolis Symphony Academy launches this fall, half the students in the program will be African-American or Hispanic-Latino,” writes Rachael Pacella in Sunday’s (4/8) Capital Gazette (Annapolis, MD). “That’s because when the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra decided to create its own academy program for young musicians, it saw a chance to not only promote diversity, but to build it into the program itself. The idea, Executive Director Patrick Nugent said, is to model the economic and cultural diversity today that the program’s organizers want to see in the orchestras of tomorrow…. The program will include individual lessons, small ensemble coaching, guest workshops, chances to perform and music appreciation opportunities…. Right now middle and high school students are eligible, and elementary ages will be added in subsequent semesters…. The symphony orchestra’s concertmaster, Netanel Draiblate, will be program director…. The program will be largely taught by Annapolis Symphony musicians.… The symphony received a grant that will cover the majority of the program’s needs for the first six years…. About 20 students will be in the program.… The dream, Nugent said, is to bring the program to 200 students … by its seventh year.”
Posted April 9, 2018
Pictured left to right: Annapolis Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Patrick Nugent; Lauren Holmes, a violin student of ASO Concertmaster Netanel Draiblate; and Draiblate, program director for the newly formed Annapolis Symphony Academy
