For immediate release: 2/15/2012

INTERSECTIONS: A NEW AMERICA ARTS FESTIVAL, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center

The Capital City Symphony presents 

Orchestra Meets the 21st Century: "New Atmospheres for Orchestra"

John Devlin, Conductor

Saturday, 2/25 at 4:30pm  and  Sunday, 2/26 at 5:30pm

Combine a traditional orchestra with an amplified small ensemble then add live electronic processors, and you have a whole new take on the classical music experience.

Under the baton of hipster maestro John Devlin, the Capital City Symphony and the chamber ensemble Graffito will invite audiences to experience re-imagined classics and new musical styles, including a world premiere concerto for Fx trumpet and orchestra by composer David Matthews, featuring trumpet soloist Neil Brown. The program will also feature Beethoven's Egmont Overture and a 21st-century re-interpretation of the Kyrie from Dufay's Missa l'Homme armé.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM - By John Devlin (conductor) and David Matthews (composer)

When we envisioned this program over a year ago, we wanted to present the audience with a new way to experience classical music. Graffito is a group of classically trained musicians who feel very much at home in the orchestral setting. The group combines the traditional rock instruments of guitar, bass, and drum set with amplified orchestral instruments: cello and trumpet. Our goal is to offer you a new way to access the music of the past and to immerse you in the sounds of today.

The first work you will hear, Atmospheres, is an introductory companion piece to the Egmont Overture by Beethoven. The music is influenced by and draws from Beethoven’s work in order to create a new atmosphere or context in which to experience the Beethoven. Tonight, the piece segues directly into a performance of the Egmont Overture by the Capital City Symphony.

Following the Beethoven, Graffito will play an original work titled Reform. Composed by group members David Matthews and Neil Brown, Reform takes the listener on a musical journey involving a variety of sounds from the soft, driving guitar lines that begin the piece, to agile, interweaving cello and trumpet melodies, and concluding with a strong, heavy groove anchored by bass and drums.

Following intermission, the program will resume with Solo for FX Trumpet and Orchestra, featuring trumpet soloist Neil Brown. FX Trumpet refers to the electronic foot pedals, or “stomp-boxes,” that the soloist uses in order to alter his sound. These devices are commonly used in popular music by guitarists and other instrumentalists. The music incorporates these FX and sounds over different grooves and textures created by the orchestra.

The last piece combines the forces of Graffito and the Capital City Symphony in an arrangement of the Kyrie from Guillame Dufay’s Missa L’homme Armé. The piece begins as an orchestrated version of Dufay’s work and then develops into its own sound as the members of Graffito become more integrated into the music.

Devlin and Matthews' “Strings and Funk” collaboration for the 2011 INTERSECTIONS Festival sold out, so get your tickets now. Don't miss a musical night to remember!

$20, $15 student/senior

For ages 8 & up.

Tickets available at www.capitalcitysymphony.org or call 202-399-7993.

Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20001

INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival celebrates art as an inspiration for conversation and connection among artists and audience of all ages, races, cultures and art forms. INTERSECTIONS 2010 attracted over 6000 patrons to the Atlas Performing Arts Center, topped by 9000 at INTERSECTIONS 2011. The festival returns in February 2012 for twelve days of multidisciplinary, curated performances with new opportunities for participation and audience engagement. See the full schedule for the festival at http://intersectionsdc.org/.

The Capital City Symphony is a founding Arts Partner and resident orchestra of the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The Capital City Symphony, under the Artistic Director of Maestra Victoria Gau, strives to make great orchestral music approachable by presenting affordable concerts to the public, performing creative programs in a relaxed concert format, and providing a musical outlet for talented amateur as well as professional players. 

A typical Capital City Symphony season offers four full orchestral programs, a chamber concert, and a free community carol sing. CCS has collaborated with the Capitol Hill Chorale and Congressional Chorus to enhance its traditional instrumental format with a diverse offering of choral works. CCS has also presented both instrumental and vocal soloists on its concert programs. In addition, CCS has pushed the boundaries of traditional orchestral music, collaborating twice with contemporary composers Charlie Barnett and David Matthews, incorporating jazz, pop, and funk elements and instruments. Learn more at http://capitalcitysymphony.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

 * John Devlin is the Director of Orchestral Studies at NOVA College in Alexandria, Virginia; Associate Conductor of the Capital City Symphony; and a Technical Director for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Devlin is also a member of the graduate program in orchestra conducting at the University of Maryland School of Music, where he received his Master of Music degree in May 2011 and is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts program. A student of James Ross, Devlin has also studied Wind Conducting with Michael Votta and Choral Conducting with Ed Maclary. In 2008, John graduated summa cum laude from Emory University with a double major in Music and Latin.

Devlin has studied conducting at Tanglewood, the Pierre Monteux School, and at the Conductors Institute at Bard College. At these and other programs he has studied with Marin Alsop, Michael Jinbo, Leon Botstein, Harold Farberman, and Scott Stewart.

Devlin started his professional conducting in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served as Assistant Conductor for the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and was the music director for several Atlanta-based, world-premiere operatic productions. His professional affiliations include Mu Phi Epsilon, The Conductors Guild, and the League of American Orchestras. Please visit www.JohnDevlinMusic.com for more information.

* David Matthews is an active composer, performer, and educator in the Washington D.C. area. He has received commissions for works by the Capital City Symphony, the University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra, and the Patel Conservatory. He has performed locally and abroad with ensembles such as the McLean Orchestra, the French American Vocal Academy Orchestra, the New Retro, and the Capital City Symphony.

As an educator, David is faculty at the D.C Youth Orchestra Program, Suitland High School Visual Performing Arts Program, Friends Community School, and Music and Arts Center in Arundel Mills where he teaches trumpet and brass instruments. He also teaches general music classes at the Greenbelt Homeschool Co-op in Greenbelt, MD.

David received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Maryland where he was mentored by Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, and Mark Wilson.

* Trumpeter Neil Brown had his musical beginnings growing up in Guilford, Connecticut and earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Maryland in 2009. Currently a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington D.C. and the Fairfax Symphony, Neil also maintains an active freelance career in the Washington D.C. area.

Neil's primary trumpet teachers have been Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, and Allan Dean, and he has benefitted from attending several music festivals including the Colorado College Summer Music Festival in 2007 and 2008, and the National Orchestral Institute in 2009.

* Graffito is a chamber ensemble consisting of Neil Brown, trumpet; Domenica Romagni, cello; David Matthews, guitar; Athus Delima, bass; and Anders Eliasson, drums. Featuring original music, the group's innovative sound is influenced by a variety of genres, including classical, rock, jazz, and electronic music. The members of Graffito are active freelance musicians and educators in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas.

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