ASO Highlights Partnership with Annapolis Opera
A Season of Thanks
With the season of thankfulness upon us, it’s an appropriate time for the ASO to offer sincere appreciation for the ongoing partnership between the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra with the Annapolis Opera.
For many years, ASO musicians have accompanied the Opera for their full productions. Symphonies and operas across the country work similarly with each other to create mutually beneficial and economically important partnerships. Essentially, musicians from the Symphony join the Opera, providing a trained professional orchestra that is in top form for the Opera’s elite singers.
ASO Artistic Director and Conductor José-Luis Novo is thankful for the benefit to both organizations and our musicians. “Our musicians are a significant asset for the Opera to depend on. Having our professional orchestra available means the Opera can focus on auditioning singers and selecting stage personnel because they don’t have to worry about the orchestra. At the same time, it allows us to employ our musicians more fully. Consequently the ASO can hire and retain the best instrumental talent in the region,” he said.
Artistic and Music Director of Annapolis Opera, Maestro Craig Kier, values the partnership as well. “As I continue my tenure as artistic and music director of the Annapolis Opera, I greatly appreciate and value the long history of collaboration between the ASO and AOC. One of the great benefits of our partnership is the opportunity to build long-term relationships with the fine roster of orchestral musicians from the ASO. This consistency allows both organizations to continue to reach new artistic heights. I look forward to the countless future productions that are all the more possible because of this important relationship.”
Playing for the Opera is very different from playing for the Symphony. Maestro Novo appreciates these differences and the advantages the partnership brings to ASO musicians. “Most of our repertoire as the ASO is symphonic, and often our Principal musicians perform as soloists in the spotlight. Playing for the Opera allows our musicians to perform the operatic repertoire wherein the music supports the singers as the principal performers. The operatic repertoire brings a degree of flexibility and spontaneity that is difficult to master with the symphonic repertoire alone. It makes them more flexible musicians and better accompanists,” he said.
Kim Valerio, Principal Flute for the ASO, appreciates that playing for the Opera has allowed her to expand her musical horizons in ways that benefit her skills and resume. “As a principal flutist with the Symphony, it’s often my job to play soloistically. When playing for the Opera, it is our job to accompany the singers and let them shine. It takes me out of my comfort zone and makes me a more versatile musician,” she said.
Edgar Herrera is the Executive Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. “We’re helping to keep ASO musicians employed while expanding their musical repertoire,” he said. “At the same time, we’re providing Opera patrons with some of the best musicians in the area, if not the nation. Our partnership means every patron will have an exceptional experience and want to come back for more!”
About the ASO
The Annapolis Symphony Academy is changing lives by providing accessible high-level musical education to students of all cultural and economic backgrounds, while addressing the under-representation of minority musicians in the classical music field. Half of the Annapolis Symphony Academy student body is composed of minorities under-represented in contemporary orchestras of the United States. The ASA employs a model that emphasizes interaction and mutual respect. Regardless of a student’s cultural background, and through the incredible generosity of our donors, the Academy awards up to fifty percent of its annual tuition revenue in need-based scholarships. We believe this model provides a truly diverse student body, as it merges two overlapping, yet non identical concepts of equality onto one program. Students are selected for the program strictly based on merit as well as their drive to learn and become better musicians. To learn more about the ASA, visit tunedtoyouth.org.
Media Inquiries
Please contact Diana Love, Director of Marketing and Communications. Phone: 410-267-3631. Email: DLove@AnnapolisSymphony.org
