All-Star Orchestra Wins 8th And 9th Emmy Awards

On Saturday, the multi-Emmy Award-winning All-Star Orchestra received its 8th and 9th awards at the 64th Annual New York Emmy Awards Ceremony of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

"From Italy and Hungary with Love" - a program featuring Mendelssohn's beloved "Italian" Symphony No. 4, and Kodály's orchestral showpiece, Dances of Galanta - was awarded in the category: Special Event - Edited with Gerard Schwarz as Music Director, Habib Azar as Director, Dmitriy Lipay and Sascha Lipay as Audio Producers, and Andrew Mayatskiy as Editor. Co-Producers are Gerard Schwarz and Paul Schwendener. The program was also awarded this year in the category: Audio - Post Production, with Dmitriy Lipay and Sascha Lipay as Audio Engineers/Editors.

"From Italy and Hungary with Love" is part of the acclaimed classical music series featuring top musicians from across the country performing major symphonic masterpieces and works from leading contemporary American composers. The series has been broadcast nationwide on public television since September 2013, and has won Emmy awards in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. National broadcasts of Season Five, its latest season, began in July 2020, in partnership with WNET/Thirteen, American Public Television, and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Music Director Gerard Schwarz said, "For all of us at the All-Star Orchestra, receiving these awards is confirmation of the importance of making great music accessible to all, especially in these challenging times of the pandemic. Great music brings hope and inspiration. It builds a sense of community. We are so grateful to WNET/Thirteen and to all of the remarkable public television stations in our vast country for believing in classical music. "

Maestro Schwarz's All-Star Orchestra is comprised of top players from some of the country's greatest orchestra's including Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Houston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, New York (the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Oregon, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Utah, Washington D.C., and more. Together these musicians perform on one stage under the leadership of Maestro Schwarz who serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York and is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. He also holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra.

The All-Star Orchestra series features classical masterpieces as well as new works from leading contemporary American composers. The series aims to expose classical music to an even broader audience while keeping the listening experience informative and accessible. In addition to performances of classical and contemporary works, the programs also feature musical excerpts, images, interviews, and educational commentary by Maestro Schwarz, the All-Star Orchestra musicians, and special guests.

The All-Star Orchestra's Music Education Academy - in partnership with the Khan Academy - was founded in 2014 to bring great classical music to millions of students. Online features and lessons present unique content including award-winning HD video, which enables self-learning via the Khan Academy - the world's leading free education website.

All-Star Orchestra is made possible by generous contributions from the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, The M. J. Murdock Trust, David Gannett, Agnes Gund, The Hearst Foundations, Alan Benaroya, The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, The Park Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Sorel Organization, Microsoft, Betty Lou Treiger, Bruce and Jeanne McNae, Rebecca Benaroya, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Marlys Palumbo, Susan Hutchison, Dr. Kennan Hollingsworth, Jerry Farley, Vivian Serota, Peter Gottsegen, Benita and Charles Staadecker, Gideon and Sarah Gartner, Bernice and Sanford Grossman, Elihu and Susan Rose, The Herman and Faye Sarkowsky Charitable Foundation, The Milken Family Foundation, Joan S. Watjen, Ralph and Sally Gerber Phinny, Judi Sorensen-Flom, Michele and Giuseppe Torroni, The Reed Foundation, Curtis Wong, Michele Kang, Annaliese Soros, Karen Brenner, Lynn Loacker, Nicolas and Jeanne Rohatyn, Bernard Osher, Beatrice Broadwater, Tom Firman, Judith and Robert Rubin, Lana Cissel, the Wise Family Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, Nadine Asin, The Lapkin Foundation, David Rossmiller and Nancy Bittner, , Robert Ted Parker, Fred Miller and Sharon Mosse, Jay Cantor, Michele Gerber Klein, Jan and Ronnie Greenberg and others.

WNET is a multi-media public service non-profit that delivers lifelong learning and meaningful experiences to New York communities. As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education, and public affairs programming to more than 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on-air and online.

American Public Television (APT) is a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation's public television stations since 1961. In 2019, APT distributed one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. Among its 300 new program titles per year, APT programs include prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children's series, and classic movies. APT licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. Now in its 10th year, Create TV - featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming - is distributed by APT. APT also distributes WORLD, public television's premier news, science, and documentary channel. To find out more about APT's programs and services, visit aptonline.org.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the largest cultural and education institution in Oregon and southern Washington, delivering excellence in public broadcasting to 1.5 million people each week through television, radio, and the Internet. Widely recognized as a national leader in the public broadcasting arena, OPB is a major contributor to the program schedule that serves the entire country. OPB is one of the most-used and most-supported public broadcasting services in the country and is generously supported by its members.

The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, founded in 1955, is the preeminent membership organization serving media professionals by offering career enhancing events and networking opportunities. NYNATAS fosters creativity and inspires artistic and technical excellence through the renowned Emmy Award, the coveted peer-recognition symbol of distinction in television.

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