“The Erie Canal is celebrating its 200th birthday in July. To mark the occasion, the Albany Symphony Orchestra is performing a series of floating concerts along the canal route,” from July 2 to 8, reports Lucas Willard at National Public Radio on Wednesday (7/5). “To mark the occasion, David Alan Miller, the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s music director, dreamed up the plan to commission and perform original works at seven stops along the route…. Symphony Board Chair Marisa Eisemann is on board with the idea to bring music out of the concert hall and into communities. She also sees it as a way to promote economic development, among other things…. ‘It’s very symbolic. This canal was the symbol of innovation and adventure, and that’s [what] we, the Albany Symphony, are known for thanks to David Alan Miller,’ she said. New York State Canal Corp. Deputy Director John Callaghan says … ‘part of what David and the Albany Symphony is doing is making the canal more accessible, more relevant to people, introducing it to them in a way they may not have thought about before.’ ”
Posted July 6, 2017
Pictured: Albany Symphony Orchestra musicians Jamecyn Morey and Litsuko Suzuki at Lock E-2 in Waterford, New York. Photo by Gary David Gold
