I am so proud to inform you that the 2024 North and South Region Orchestra and All-State Orchestra Festivals were an enormous success. The North and South Region Festivals were held in Huntsville and Greenville, respectively, January 6-7, and the All-State Orchestra Festival was held on the campus of the University of Alabama, February 8-11. Our conductors for the North Region Festival were William Waag (Santa Fe Youth Orchestra) and Andrea Dawson (Middle TN State University), and our conductors for the South Region Festival were Dan Allcott (TN Tech University) and Susan Mullen (Murfreesboro Symphony and the Webb School).

At the 2024 AOA All-State Orchestra Festival, the Festival Orchestra was led by Mr. Robin Fountain. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mr. Fountain joined us from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Mr. Fountain is the Emeritus Professor of Orchestral Studies and Conducting at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. He has also served as the Music Director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony and the Williamsport Symphony in Pennsylvania. Mr. Fountain was also my primary conducting teacher and remains a close friend and mentor today. It was incredibly special for me to witness my students, and students from across Alabama, studying with, and learning from, my mentor.

The Sinfonia was led by Dr. César Leal. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Dr. Leal joined us from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he is the Director of Orchestral Activities at the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College. There, Dr. Leal also serves as a professor of musicology. 

The Consort String Orchestra was led by Mrs. Jennifer Drake. Mrs. Drake joined us from Boise, Idaho, where she serves as the Music Director of the Serenata Orchestra and the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestras. She is also the founder of the Idaho Viola Camp and the Co-Artistic Director of the Idaho Orchestra Institute.

Both of the Regional Orchestra Festivals and the All-State Orchestra Festival hosted nearly 200 young musicians from all corners of Alabama. These students are the cream of the crop, not only among young musicians in our state, but among young people in our state. They are among Alabama’s finest young musicians, scholars, seekers, dreamers, and future leaders. Undoubtedly, they will shape their present and future communities with their work ethic and their dedication to their artform.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to announce to you that orchestral music education is vibrant and so alive in many areas of Alabama, but I must also tell you that, at this moment, approximately one-third of Alabama schools do not have a music teacher. We have much work left to do, my friends. It is the sincere hope of the Alabama Orchestra Association and Alabama Music Educators Association that, someday, every public-school student in Alabama will have access to this art form if they desire to participate. You can help us by spreading the word about the work we are doing to your community, colleagues, friends, family, and government officials. Let your legislators know that you, too, dream of a day where all Alabama children will have the opportunity to have their lives enriched through the arts. While we celebrate the incredible work of the students that were able to participate, I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the children that were not present due to lack of resources and opportunity.

Members of the AOA and beyond, thank you for all that you do to ensure that orchestral music thrives in the State of Alabama. May we strive to build musical communities where our students find safe spaces to express themselves, their experiences, their hopes, and their dreams for a kinder world where all are loved, nurtured, and supported.  May this be our mission and may music be our vehicle.

Musically yours, Joseph Lee, President

Members of the Alabama Orchestra Association,

The other members of the Executive Committee, Anna Marie, and I look forward to welcoming you to Huntsville, January 18-20, 2024, for the Alabama Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference. It is not too early to start making plans to attend the AMEA Conference, and I remind you that you must be a current member of NAfME to register.

The “headliner” clinician for the Alabama Orchestra Association will be Brenda Brenner, the Professor of Music Education and Director of the Jacobs Academy at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She specializes in string music education, teaching applied violin, as well as courses in violin and string pedagogy. Dr. Brenner holds degrees from Wichita State University and the Eastman School of Music. In addition to her appointment to the Music Education Department, she serves as co-director of the IU String Academy, which has been featured in concerts throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America. As director of the Fairview Project, a program in which every first and second grader in a Title I school learns violin as part of the curriculum, Dr. Brenner researches the cognitive, academic, and social outcomes of early instrumental music instruction. Dr. Brenner is an active performer of chamber music, an active international clinician, a Past President of the American String Teachers Association, and is on the Board of the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Dr. Brenner will present four sessions at the 2024 AMEA Conference:

Setting Up for Success – Some of the most important factors that determine success in playing a stringed instrument involve the beginning “set up” stage, which includes establishing a proper playing position and developing free and open muscular motions. Teachers can ensure success for their students by establishing a series of procedures that break down the setup tasks into a sequence of exercises that allow their students to look and sound great!

From Poof to Portato: A sequence of bow strokes – Bowing technique is a crucial foundational skill in string playing that creates good tone quality and forms the basis for musical style. In this session, methods of teaching fundamental bow strokes and bow choreography in group settings from beginning through intermediate levels will be explored.  Literature utilizing the various strokes will be presented.

Winning with Warm-Ups – An effective warm-up routine that integrates technical and musical elements as a preparation for playing repertoire is a key to successful teaching. Separation of both left- and right-hand difficulties before attempting them within the repertoire is essential. This clinic will examine how to design an effective routine and will present examples of warm-ups using standard repertoire from the string orchestra literature.

Theory is Awesome – Learning music theory concepts deepens students’ understanding of music. Knowledge of intervals, solfege, chord structure, and musical form strengthens the comprehension of musical style, allows students to contribute intelligently to the musical decision-making process, and perform with more understanding and awareness.  Strategies for building practical theoretical skills in the beginning through advanced string classroom through games, musical activities, and improvisation will be presented in this clinic.

In addition to the sessions presented by Dr. Brenner, we will also host sessions rooted in the art of listening from the podium, score study, behavior strategies that work, practicing with purpose, and empowering perspectives from women in music. Members of the Alabama Orchestra Association are also invited to participate in our third-annual AOA Lobby Performance which includes leadership, membership, and collegiate students. We will also hold our annual Saturday morning J.W. Pepper reading session, so be sure to bring your instrument! I know the Conference sounds extremely busy, and it is, but there is also plenty of time for sharing meals, exchanging ideas, networking, and building relationships.

I am also excited about the 2024 North and South Region Orchestra and All-State Orchestra Festivals. Please see the AOA website, found below, for information regarding the North and South Region Orchestra Festivals, occurring January 6-7, 2024. The 2024 All-State Orchestra Festival will take place on the campus of the University of Alabama, February 8-11, 2024.

At the 2024 AOA All-State Orchestra Festival, the Festival Orchestra will be led by Robin Fountain, the Emeritus Professor of Conducting at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music. Mr. Fountain is a sought-after guest conductor throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and has recorded for Parma/Naxos, Novona, and Blue Griffin records, most recently Michael Kurek’s Symphony No. 2 with the European Recording Orchestra, Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2020, Mr. Fountain concluded a fourteen-season tenure as Music Director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony and had previously enjoyed an equally long and productive tenure with the Williamsport Symphony in Pennsylvania. Mr. Fountain holds degrees from Oxford University, the Royal College of Music in London, and Carnegie Mellon University.

The Sinfonia will be led by César Leal. He currently serves as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Sunderman Conservatory in Gettysburg College, where he is also a professor of musicology. A Colombian-born artist and researcher, his scholarly and creative activities often intersect a diverse array of interests, including music and culture during fin-de-siècle Paris, Franco-American artistic interactions, soundscapes, Jewish patronage and modernism, Latin American cultural identities in the U.S., and race, class, gender relations in music. Dr. Leal has led professional ensembles across the U.S., Panama, Colombia, France, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. He holds degrees from the University of Kentucky, Florida International University, and Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá.

The Consort String Orchestra will be led by Jennifer Drake. Inspired by the power of music to connect people, ideas, and communities, Ms. Drake is a conductor, violist, teacher, clinician, and camp director. She is known for her versatility, humor, and energy, and has been a transformative force for the arts in Boise, Idaho, since 1999. Ms. Drake is the Music Director of the Serenata Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and the assistant conductor and principal violist for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Additionally, she is the principal violist for the Boise Baroque Chamber Orchestra, as we as a violist for the Boise Philharmonic. Ms. Drake is the founder of the Idaho Viola Camp and the co-artistic director for the Idaho Orchestra Institute.

Please encourage your students to participate in the North/South Region Orchestra and All-State Orchestra Festivals. More information regarding auditions can be found here: https://alabamaorchestraassociation.org

All-Region/All-State Orchestra

Deadlines for Audition
Submission/Registration

• October 13, 2023:  String and Harp Audition Materials Due
• November 10, 2023:  Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion Audition Materials Due

Thank you for all that you do to ensure that orchestral music thrives in the State of Alabama. May we strive to build musical communities where our students find safe spaces to express themselves, their experiences, their hopes, and their dreams for a kinder world where all are loved, nurtured, and supported.  May this be our mission and may music be our vehicle.

Musically yours,

Joseph Lee, President

Important Dates

2023-2024 Academic Year

• North All-Region Orchestra: January 6-7, 2024 (Huntsville)
• South All-Region Orchestra: January 6-7, 2024 (Greenville)
• All-State Orchestra Festival: February 8-11, 2024 (Tuscaloosa)
• Orchestra Music Performance Assessment: April 5, 2024 (Alabaster)

Dear Members of the Alabama Orchestra Association,

I hope that these weeks of summer have offered opportunities for rest and renewal. Whether you lead one of Alabama’s youth orchestra programs, a public or private school string/orchestra program, a university orchestra, teach private or group classes, or are involved in string music education in other ways, the members of the Executive Committee are grateful for your membership and participation in the Alabama Orchestra Association. We appreciate your commitment to the music education of Alabamians of all ages and seek to be a resource for you as you work to continually inspire and nurture the student-artists in your care.

Please encourage your string students to audition for the North or South All-Region Orchestra, depending on their geographic location within Alabama. As in recent years, the string students selected for the 2024 All-State Orchestra Festival will be chosen based on their score for this audition. String students must plan to attend for the 2024 All-Region Orchestra Festival in order to attend the 2024 All-State Orchestra Festival.

To provide more woodwind, brass, and percussion students the opportunity to play in an orchestral setting, students of these instruments will be assigned to either All-Region or All-State Orchestra. This placement is based upon the audition results.

More information regarding auditions can be found here: https://alabamaorchestraassociation.org

All-Region/All-State Orchestra Audition Information

• October 13, 2023 – String and Harp Audition Materials Due
• November 10, 2023 – Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion Audition Materials Due

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all that you do to ensure that orchestral music not only exists in the State of Alabama, but thrives in the State of Alabama. As we embark on this new academic year, may we strive to build musical communities where our students find safe spaces to express themselves, their experiences, their hopes, and their dreams for a kinder world where all are loved, nurtured, and supported.  May this be our goal and may music be our vehicle.

Musically yours,

Joseph Lee, president

The members of the AOA Executive Committee are:

• Joseph Lee, President
  Huntsville Youth Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
• Jordan Kirchner Ford, Vice-President/President-elect
  Alabaster City Schools
• Rachel Christmas Secretary and Orchestra Music Performance Assessment Chair,
  Gadsden City Schools
• Tricia Marotz, Treasurer
  Private Instructor – Dothan, Alabama
• Daniel Stevens, Past President
  Mississippi State University
• Leroy Hughes, All-State Orchestra Chair
  Baldwin County High School, Baldwin County Youth Orchestra
• Anna Marie Tysinger, Executive Director
  Retired Music Educator, Tri-State Community Orchestra, Dothan, Alabama

Important Dates for the Alabama Orchestra Association, 2023-2024 Academic Year

• North All-Region Orchestra: January 6-7, 2024, Huntsville, Alabama
• South All-Region Orchestra: January 6-7, 2024, Greenville, Alabama
• AMEA Professional Development Conference: January 18-20, 2024, Huntsville, Alabama
• All-State Orchestra Festival: February 8-11, 2024, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Orchestra Music Performance Assessment: April 5, 2024, Alabaster, Alabama