FFA NEWS

Michael Reynolds Selected as FFA 2008 Season Artistic Director

The Board of Directors of the Fredericksburg Festival of the Arts is pleased to announce the selection of Michael Reynolds, internationally acclaimed cellist and founding member of the Boston-based Muir String Quartet, as Artistic Director for the 2008 season.

Mr. Reynolds, who was Acting Artistic Director during 2006, has been involved with the Festival chamber series since the very beginning.  Commented Mr. Reynolds:  "For us, the people in Fredericksburg are like family.  There are very few festivals in America that show such loyalty to musicians, and we've all made lifelong friendships here. The Board of FFA has such passion for its mission of bringing great art to the community, and I'm really looking forward to working with everyone here as we enter our second twenty years!”

A Montana native, Mr. Reynolds began his career as the founding cellist of the Muir String Quartet, now in its 29th season.  A professor at Boston University since 1983, he received his professional training at the Curtis Institute of Music, and continued his studies at Yale.  He is also co-founder and Artistic Director of Classics for Kids Foundation, which offers matching grants toward excellent quality student instruments and inspirational mentoring to communities and schools around America, and the Artistic Director of the Muir Quartet’s Emerging Quartets and Composers program at the Deer Valley Festival in Park City, Utah.  He is also Artistic Director of Rockport Fall Foliage, a yearly gathering of amateur musicians in Rockport, Maine.

Alma Withers, FFA’s Board President, said, “We are very pleased that Mike has accepted our offer to be Artistic Director for the 2008 season.  We’re in the process of establishing a new Strategic Plan for the organization, and that process has given us a framework of ‘ideals’ to work with as we celebrate our first 20 years and embark upon the growth, change and challenges that face us during the next 20 years.  Of course, we’ll continue to bring the highest quality performing arts programs to the Fredericksburg community, but we also want to continue expansion in areas that we see as vital community needs, such as our education and outreach programs for K-12 school children, and revitalization of our Arts-in-Motion program for seniors unable to go out and enjoy performances.  Mike is very well qualified for this position, and his energy and enthusiastic embrace of the Board’s vision will help us turn those goals into reality.” 

Virginia Opera

Funding from The City of Fredericksburg and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, coupled with generous private donations, allowed us to present twice as many performances of the Virginia Opera for children grades K-5 in 2006-07 as in previous years.  Two of the 2006 performances took place at Dodd Auditorium on January 6, 2006 and involved 12 public and private schools 150 home schooled children, for a total of 1,577 students) while a second block of performances occurred at two Fredericksburg City public schools in May (with an estimated attendance (both schools) of 1,200).  This past school year, we arranged for a total of 16 in-school performances of the VA Opera in January, March, April and May 2007 for 6,125 K-8 students, and 400 adult teachers/chaperones, reaching a total of 6,525 adults and children with Virginia Opera performances.  We are extremely proud of this accomplishment, and we will continue to do all we can to expand our education and outreach programming to Fredericksburg-area youths.

Students at Hugh Mercer enjoy  an FFA presentation of the Virginia Opera in January, 2007

The 2007 annual Young Artist Competition Finals Concert was held at Chancellor Baptist Church on Saturday, January 20, 2007.  AnnaMarie Ignarro won first place  performing Fantasia and Rondo by Weber on Clarient accompanied by Julie Wilshusen on piano.  Dan Knowlton won second place performing Furioso and Valse by Hatch on Marimba.  Chuhern Hwang won third place perfroming Chopin's Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3 on piano.  Also performing were Christopher Yang, Alana Thomas, Andy Knowlton, Kaley Holland, and Ashley Alden.  "Vivace" of the Rappahannock Youth Symphony closed the show with  A Tribute to Henry Mancini by Calvin Custer.

The 2007 Young Artist Competition Winners:  Chuhern Hwang, Dan Knowlton, and AnnaMarie Ignarro