Robert Spano To Lead World Premiere Of Alvin Singleton Work

Music Director Robert Spano will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Different River - a new work composed by Alvin Singleton and commissioned by Mr. Spano and the Orchestra - May 10, 11, and 12, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center. Guest pianist Leon Bates will join the Orchestra for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and the program will also include Copland's Symphony No. 3, which is most famous for its finale that quotes the Fanfare for The Common Man.

Mr. Singleton was the Composer-in-Residence for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1988, following 14 years of living and working in Europe. A Fulbright Scholar, he has garnered numerous awards throughout his compositional life, including a 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts ,and the Mayor's Fellowship in the Arts Award by the City of Atlanta. Of Different River, Mr. Singelton has said, "It is about an ever-changing perspective on a river that is always moving… Each time you step in, you're at a different place."

Prior to the concert on Thursday, May 10, 2012, Mr. Singleton will join ASO Insider and Program Annotator Ken Meltzer for the evening's Concert Preview to discuss the world premiere of Different River. The concert preview will take place from 7:00–7:30 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall and is free for all concert ticket holders.