You are here: Home

GGFSO 08-09 Season

The Spring Concert was conducted by Music Conductor Dr. James Hannon. This was Dr. Hannon's last concert, as he and his family have moved to Japan. Dr. Hannon has done a fantastic job and received a standing ovation for his performance.

It was also the last concert where Dr. Eric Lawson is serving as Concertmaster. Dr. Lawson has moved to Bismarck. Dr. Lawson also has been a great performer and Concertmaster.

The guest cellist was Martin Storey. He gave a virtuoso solo performance and then joined the orchestra as part of the cello section.

Shown here are some pictures of from the concert.

           

The Greater Grand Forks Symphony hosted its annual Century Club Dinner and 100th Birthday Party on April 26th. The Pre-dinner party was at Dakota harvest Bakers which donated the hors d'oeuvres and beverages. The Dinner was at the Toasted Frog. The primary dinner organizer was board member Rohinee Damle.

Shown here is the cake presented at the dinner. Music Conductor, Dr. James Hannon gave a preview of the upcoming concert.

 

Greater Grand Forks Symphony to join ORCHESTRAS FEEDING AMERICA to benefit Northlands Rescue Mission

National Food Drive Inspired by the Upcoming Film The Soloist

Audiences and Community Members invited to drop off food on March 7th & 8th

Grand Forks, North Dakota - February 25, 2009 - The Greater Grand Forks Symphony will participate in Orchestras Feeding America, the first national food drive by America's symphony orchestras. GGFSO's musicians, staff members and volunteers will collect non-perishable food at the concerts on March 7th and 8th between 1 pm and 7 pm in the lobby of Empire Arts Center. The food will be donated to the Northland Rescue Mission.

To date, over forty orchestras nationally have come together to combat hunger in their communities through Orchestras Feeding America, and the number of participants is growing daily. The project is organized by the League of American Orchestras, which represents the nation's professional, volunteer, and youth orchestras, and Feeding America's network of over 200 food banks and 63,000 agencies. The drive was inspired by the true story of the upcoming film The Soloist.

Said GGFSO Executive Director Jennifer Tarlin, "We all are feeling the effects of the economic crisis, but we cannot let that stop us from helping our neighbors. Here in Grand Forks, our own Northlands Rescue Mission served over 75,000 meals to homeless women and men last year. Our orchestra's music uplifts people and has for a hundred years, but with this project we can do more to support the community that has supported us for so long."

One in eight Americans is at risk of hunger. According to the USDA, there are 36 million people at risk of hunger in the U.S.; 12 million of them are children. In December 2008, Feeding America conducted a survey of 160 food banks nationwide - the results were troubling, with food banks reporting a 30 percent increase in demand for emergency food assistance, compared to one year ago.

The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., will be released by Paramount Pictures to theaters nationwide on April 24th.. The film is based on the true story of the relationship between Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted Juilliard-trained string player whose mental illness landed him among the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. The relationship has expanded to include staff and musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Soloist, which also features the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is a testament to the redemptive power of music and a reminder of our connections to the most vulnerable among us.

The Greater Grand Forks Symphony is a one hundred year old community orchestra that performs public concerts and sponsors a Youth Orchestra Program. Over one hundred and fifty musicians and student musicians from Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, Thompson, Grafton, Arvilla, Emerado, Larimore, Northwood, Warren, Crookston, Thief River Falls, Cavalier, Fargo, Moorhead and nearby towns participate in its programs. It is supported by the North Dakota Council on the Arts, The City of Grand Forks/North Valley Arts Council, and the University of North Dakota Department of Music.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Greater Grand Forks Symphony
Jennifer Tarlin; Jenny.tarlin@und.edu; (701) 740-2902

Northlands Rescue Mission
Dave Sena; dave@jointhemission.org; (701.772.6609, x 200)

Sunshine, Sachs & Associates
Julie Cloutier; cloutier@sunshinesachs.com; (212) 691-2800

League of American Orchestras
John Bence; jbence@americanorchestras.org (646) 822 - 4077

March Concerts

February 7, 2009, 6:00 pm

Grand Forks.  Hannah Due, a twenty-year old flautist from Grand Forks and Emily Custer, an eighteen-year old pianist from East Grand Forks, were the winners of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony’s 2009 Young Artist competition.  The competition was held Saturday afternoon at UND’s Hughes Fine Arts Center.  Eleven young musicians competed for cash prizes and the opportunity to solo with local orchestras.

Winner of the Barnum Prize, named for musician and teacher Elton Lee Barnum, was Hannah Due. Hannah is a sophomore at Concordia College and currently studies with Debra Harris.  She will have the opportunity to play Francois Borne’s “Fantasie sur Carmen,” at the Greater Grand Forks Symphony’s March 7th and 8th concert at the Empire Arts Center. 

The Page Towne Award, named in honor of a former Symphony Executive Director who championed youth music education, was presented to Emily Custer who performed Robert Schumann’s Concerto in A minor accompanied by Amy Mercer.  Emily has played piano for fourteen years and currently studies with Dr. Robert Groves.  She has received awards in composition and performance from the National Federation of Music Club, won first place in the Iva Fillebrown Piano Competition in Fargo and for the last six years, first place in Scott’s Piano Competition.  She has also won awards in singing from the Bel Canto Studio, and third place (in piano) at the national Stillman-Kelley performance competition.  Gary Towne, Associate Professor of Music at UND, presented the award.

Judges for the event were Alejandro Drago, Conductor of the Greater Grand Forks Youth Symphony and Director of Strings at UND, Susan Tang, Assistant Professor of Piano at UND, and Paloma Patnode, oboe instructor at NDSU.  In a surprise announcement, Dr. Drago invited Emily to perform her audition piece with the Greater Grand Forks Youth Symphony in the fall of 2009.  David Richardson, a trumpet student of Ronnie Ingle at UND and finalist in the competition, was also invited to perform with the UND Chamber Orchestra.  Dr. Drago commended all three finalists, and cited the importance of performance opportunities in the careers of young musicians. 

The Competition is an annual event that is open to student musicians under twenty-three years old who live within one hundred fifty miles of Grand Forks.  It is a program of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony with sponsorship from Bremer Bank and Lee Barnum.  Competition administrator is Michelle Lucia Ingle, Personnel Manager and Clarinetist with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony.


Divertimento fall 2008 recital - Dec. 1, 2008

Divertimento fall 2008 recital - Dec. 1, 2008
     
Print This Page

Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra


^ Top


Next page: Upcoming Performances