DEAR FRIENDS
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the Atlanta Music Project’s 16th season. For those of you who may not know, our first program, back in 2010, was a small but mighty after-school orchestra program at the Gilbert House, a City of Atlanta Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta. We had 30 elementary school students attending five days per week, in class for two hours each day! I remember being so inspired by their enthusiasm and natural ability. I was also grateful for their parents, who had the courage to entrust their children to a brand new organization. The teaching artists we hired were not just absolute professionals, they were fully behind our mission to empower youth to realize their possibilities through music.
Sixteen years later, those three groups - students, families, and teaching artists - remain the heart of our success. If they are the heart, our donors are our lungs. Donors breathe life into our vision that music training can lead to life-changing outcomes for youth. Without our cherished donors, AMP would simply not exist. Therefore, they have our ever-lasting gratitude. Tonight’s concert represents all the best parts of AMP coming together. The young musicians of our current youth orchestras and choirs have taken on the repertoire and coachings of our faculty with remarkable courage and artistry. I’m excited to follow their progress throughout this season. Thank you to you all for your continued involvement and support. Cheers to 16!
With Gratitude,
Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & CEO
Atlanta Music Project INSTITUTIONAL DONORS
Funding provided in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Department of Community Development.
Major funding for this organization is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECt
after-school orchestras program partner
MAYOR
The Honorable Andre Dickens
CITY COUNCIL
Doug Shipman, Council President
Jason Winston, District 1
Carden Wyckoff, District 2
Byron Amos, District 3
Jason Dozier, District 4
Liliana Bakhtiari, District 5
Alex Wan, District 6
Howard Shook, District 7
Mary Norwood, District 8
Dustin R. Hillis, District 9
Andrea L. Boone, District 10
Marci Collier Overstreet, District 11
Antonio Lewis, District 12
Michael Julian Bond, Post 1
Matt Westmoreland, Post 2
Eshé Collins, Post 3
CITY OF ATLANTA OFFICE OF RECREATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Justin Cutler, Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner
Doug Voss, Deputy Commissioner
Ramondo Davidson, MBA,CPRP, Director of Recreation
Sonia Wimbish, Assistant Director of Recreation
Charles Brown, II, MPA, Operations Director
Tiffani D. Bryant, Operations Director
Shelby Beverly, Recreation Program Supervisor
PERKERSON PARK RECREATION CENTER
Terrence Boney, Senior Recreation Operations Assistant
Kyra Mobley, Community Facility Manager
Asia Jackson, Recreation Operations Assistant
Javen Gilmore, Recreation Operations Assistant
SOUTH BEND CENTER FOR ARTS & CULTURE
Olivia Whipple, Community Facility Manager
Donna Wahl, Recreation Operations Assistant
Joshua Brown, Recreation Operations Assistant
Xavier Adams, Recreation Operations Assistant
ABOUT THE Atlanta Music Project AFTER-SCHOOL ORCHESTRAS
The Atlanta Music Project (AMP) After-School Orchestras is an after-school program for students at the beginning of their musical journey based at two City of Atlanta recreation centers: Perkerson Park Recreation Center and South Bend Center for Arts & Culture. No prior musical experience or audition is required for participation and spots are filled year-round on a first-come-first-served basis. The program is offered tuition-free right in under-resourced neighborhoods to ensure that every student in Atlanta has the opportunity for high-quality and world-class after-school music education and performance opportunities, regardless of socio-economic standing. AMP provides all participants an instrument, teaching artists (paid, local, professional degreed musicians and music educators), classes, and performance opportunities. Students work on theory, technique and perform both classical repertoire and music of the African Diaspora (jazz, spirituals, Caribbean, etc.) representing the community and youth being served. The only requirement for students is to attend all classes which meet on Tuesdays-Thursdays from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Classes are comprised of group lessons, music theory, and large ensemble rehearsals. Students perform two major public concerts at the AMP Center for Performance & Education each season.
The AMP After-School Orchestras program is in its 16th year of partnership with the City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, providing an exemplary wrap around program. While AMP provides music education, the City of Atlanta provides transportation from local schools to the recreation centers, a healthy snack, a supervised homework period, and a warm dinner after the AMP class. This partnership has allowed AMP to engage in a collective impact model whereby the City’s resources and expertise are leveraged to allow AMP’s time and resources to be focused on what we do best: music.
SOUTH BEND CENTER WINDS
PERKERSON PARK VIOLINS
SOUTH BEND CENTER GENERAL MUSIC
Dr. Dyann Ryans | Conductor
SOUTH BEND CENTER CHOIR
Channel Childers | Conductor Somebody Come and Play
PERKERSON PARK VIOLINS
Alchemy Onley
Gebel Tarik Livingstone
Janaè Morrison
Kwabena Mensah
SOUTH BEND CENTER WINDS
FLUTE
Naomi Lloyd
Nylah Lloyd
CLARINET
Ayaan Caldwell
Langston Jackson-Dawkins
Ramsey Gantt
Sanaa Warner
Zaria Morrissette
TRUMPET
Erica Peterson
TROMBONE
Benjamin Daniels
Amair Lewis
SOUTH BEND CENTER GENERAL MUSIC & CHOIR
A’Nari Roberson
Aaliyah Perriman
Aurii Rogers
Haleigh Harrison
Jarquavious Harris
Kayce Ross
Keaton Goolsby
Layla Smith
Lyric Crumbley
Na’Khai Gaither
Na’Mhir Gaither
Nailah La Force
Neomoni Gaither
Rhiley McNeal
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Philip M. Juravel, CPA, Chair
Jennifer Dorian, Vice-Chair
Byron Gibbs, Treasurer
Racheal Woods, Secretary
Sarah Griesenauer-Barros, Ben Cherian, Anne Cross, Deva Hirsch, Valerie L. Holmes, James F. Lock III, Aaron C. Mitchell, Ceasar C. Mitchell Jr.,
Aisha Moody, Shawn Pacely, Elijah Brown, Dantes Rameau, John Sparrow
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT STAFF
Aisha Moody, Co-Founder & Chief Program Officer
Amber Taylor, Associate Director of AMP Academy
Breanna Johnson, Director of Choral Programs
Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
D’Laney Bowry, Development & Grants Manager
Durand Bailey, Senior Director of Operations
Jack W. Wagner, Director of Grants
José L. Morales, Marketing & Graphic Design Associate
Lauren Jones, Program Operations Associate
Lauren Spence, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer
Liesl McWhorter, Youth Orchestras Program Manager
Lydia Falcon, After-School Programs Associate
Michael Crawford, Facilities Manager
Miriam Huppert, Director of College & Career Services
Nassareen Rahman, Van Driver
Ron Pace, Finance Manager
DOUGLAS ESCOBAR
SOUTH BEND CENTER WINDS
Douglas Escobar is a professional trumpet player based in Atlanta, GA. Born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Douglas’s love for trumpet developed at a very early age. After many years of honing his musical craft in Honduras, Douglas travelled to the United States to further his studies at Columbus State University, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Trumpet Performance in 2022. Douglas continued his studies at Georgia State University, achieving his Master of Music in Orchestral Performance in 2024. When not performing at various gigs and local churches, Douglas enjoys teaching numerous music classes at AMP, as well as private trumpet lessons across the metro-Atlanta area.
MEGHAN YOST
PERKERSON PARK VIOLINS
Meghan Yost, violist and pedagogue, is an advocate of music as a vehicle for human expression and social change. She performs with orchestras including the Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra; and is Principal Violist of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. She was a featured soloist on the American Viola Society’s 2024 album, Flashing Forward/Thinking Back, and subsequently performed as a soloist at the 2024 American Viola Society Festival. Her solo performances have been featured on NPR Performance Today and WABE The Atlanta Music Scene. Yost gives frequent solo recitals, including performances at Spivey Hall and SoundNOW, Atlanta’s contemporary music festival. Committed to providing tuition free training for underserved musicians, Yost is Viola Teaching Artist at Atlanta Music Project. She is also the Viola Professor at Spelman College and Clayton State University, and in 2020 was named Music Educator of the Year by the Atlanta Federation of Musicians. Yost received her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and her Master of Music from Lynn Conservatory of Music.
DR. dyann ryans
SOUTH BEND CENTER general music
Dr. Dyann Ryans is a distinguished music educator and military musician with teaching experience ranging from kindergarten to college. At Stillman College, she founded the first marching band program. As a U.S. Marine Corps musician, she played clarinet and saxophone and later became the first African American woman to command a military band, leading the 116th Army Band in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Ryans is currently retired.
CHANELL CHILDERS
south bend center choir
A Philadelphia native, Chanell Childers is a singer, teacher, musician, and a mentor. At a very young age, she was exposed to music of all genres by her parents. At six, Chanell started studying classical piano followed by three years of acting at Freedom Theater in Philadelphia, PA. While at Freedom Theater she discovered that she also had the gift of singing.
Chanell is the lead vocalist of the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Jazz Orchestra. She has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Montreux, Switzerland), Umbria Jazz Festival (Umbria, Italy), North Sea Jazz Festival (Den Haag, Netherlands), and the Jazz Vienne Festival (Vienne, France). She also has received a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from The University of Miami. Chanell currently gigs around town and is also an Elementary Music Teacher with the DeKalb County School District. She also teaches private voice andpiano lessons.
This is Chanell’s tenth year teaching for Atlanta Music Project as the Choral Conductor of the Preparatory Chorus. Chanell believes that educating young people, both musicians and nonmusicians, has propelled her advocacy for social change through their growth and development.
the atlanta music project mission and history
Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) provides world-class music training and performance opportunities supporting youth growth and development. Operating in under-resourced communities, AMP’s mission is to empower youth to realize their possibilities through music.
AMP serves over 1,000 young musicians annually through band, orchestra, and choir programs, private lessons, and the annual month-long AMP Summer Series. The AMP Senior Youth Orchestras and Choirs perform and compete both nationally and internationally. Additionally, AMP houses a college and career program, supporting AMP high school students and alumni. Since 2021, AMP has awarded $545,000 in college scholarships to its alumni.
AMP music ensembles perform more than 60 concerts annually, performing in venues all across Atlanta, from community centers to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. AMP music ensembles have performed alongside international stars such as cellist Sterling Elliott, rapper Lecrae, operatic baritone Edward Parks, R&B singer Monica, The Piano Guys, the Harlem Quartet, electric violinist Lindsey Stirling, pianist Terrence Wilson, and the Imani Winds. AMP musicians can be seen performing with rapper T.I. on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series.
AMP’s young musicians have successfully auditioned for Georgia All-State ensembles, and performed with the Atlanta Opera, the Atlanta Ballet, and the Fox Theatre. AMP ensembles have concertized as far away as Los Angeles, Aspen, Mexico, Canada, and New Zealand. The AMP Senior Youth Choir was crowned winner of the Youth Choirs category at the Open Competition of the 2024 World Choirs Games.
AMP is the recipient of several prestigious awards: 2015 Local Community Service Award (Spelman College), 2016 Neighborhood Builder (Bank of America), 2016 & 2017 Top 50 Youth Arts Program (USA President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities), 2018 MLK Jr. Community Service Award (Emory University), 2019 Luminary Award for Arts Education (ArtsATL), and 2021 Infusion Award (Lewis Prize for Music).
AMP’s current major funders include the Chestnut Family Foundation, Intuit Mailchimp, the Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation, the Harland Charitable Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, The Rich’s Foundation, the Sartain Lanier Foundation, the Luluma Foundation, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Arts Council, Georgia Council for the Arts, Georgia Department of Education, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Delta Community Credit Union, the Next Generation Fund, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
In 2024, AMP became the recipient of five Steinway pianos and was awarded the prestigious honor of being a Steinway Select School, making AMP one of eight schools in the country with this distinction.
AMP’s partners and collaborators include the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton State University, and the Chestnut Family Foundation.
AMP’s existence is a direct result of the 2009 TED Prize, which was awarded to Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s El Sistema. AMP’s co-founders were members of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. AMP is a member of “El Sistema USA,” the National Alliance of El Sistema Inspired Programs.
For more information visit http://www.atlantamusicproject.org
YOUNG MUSICIAN PATHWAYS
& CAREER SCHOLARSHIPS, EMPLOYMENT, ADVISING
ADVANCED PROGRAMS
AMP SENIOR YOUTH ORCHESTRA & CHOIR
INTERNATIONAL TOURS & COMPETITIONS
COLLEGE & CAREER SERVICES
INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMS
AMP JUNIOR YOUTH ORCHESTRAS
AMP JUNIOR YOUTH CHOIRS
PREPARATORY PROGRAMS
AMP AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
AMP PREPARATORY SCHOOL
EMPOWERING YOUTH TO REALIZE THEIR POSSIBILITIES THROUGH MUSIC
