Friday, April 1, 2011

JoAnn Falletta & Virginia Symphony to Record Naxos CD of Works of Adolphus Hailstork in May

[Adolphus Hailstork]

HamptonRoads.com
By Teresa Annas
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 19, 2011
Fans here know her accomplishments. Since being hired in 1991, Falletta has transformed the Virginia Symphony into a respected organization that is ranked among the nation’s top orchestras.She gave the group ambition by heading to New York in 1997 for a concert at Carnegie Hall; the rave reviews brought confidence. Three years later, she took the symphony to the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Since then, she has led the symphony for 14 recordings, further spreading its reputation. In May, the symphony will record a program of works by Virginia Beach composer Adolphus Hailstork; the group’s 15th recording will be its first for Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label. Falletta has made more than 50 recordings in all and has two Grammy Awards to her credit.

She earned her 10th honor from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2008. That last ASCAP honor cited her many abilities but especially her “career-long advocacy for American composers that has made her a leading force for the music of our time.” As a conductor, she has premiered more than 100 works, here and elsewhere.

Outside of Virginia, Falletta is building her own reputation. Besides her work in Buffalo, she is a frequent guest conductor for orchestras worldwide and at the nation’s top summer festivals, such as Tanglewood. [Adolphus C. Hailstork (b. 1941) is an Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University and is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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