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 ACADEMY RECITAL I
Jack W. Wagner | Collaborative Pianist
Cello Concerto No.1 in g minor, Op.49....................................Dmitry Kabalevsky I. Allegro
David Walton, cello Studio of Yuliya Kim
Five Songs of Laurence Hope..........................Music by Harry Thacker Burleigh V. “Till I Wake” Text by Laurence Hope
Lauren Hunter, soprano Studio of Ethan Godfrey
Nadjas Tanz..........................................................................Wolfgang Schlűter
Kori Harmon, vibraphone Studio of Dominic Ryder
“Make ‘Em Laugh”........................................... Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown from Singin’ in the Rain arr. Jack W. Wagner
Joshua Banks, baritone Studio of Pamela Dillard
Cello Concerto No.3 in b minor, Op. 51....................................Georg Goltermann I. Allegro molto moderato
Preston Walton, cello Studio of Yuliya Kim
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT ACADEMY RECITAL I
Jack W. Wagner | Collaborative Pianist
A Little Bit in Love..................................................Music by Leonard Bernstein from Wonderful Town Lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Thais El-Amin, mezzo-soprano Studio of Ibukun Babalola
“Non lo diró col labbro”.................................................George Frideric Handel from Tolomeo, re d’Egitto Libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym
Maya Winfrey, mezzo-soprano Studio of Laura English-Robinson
Cavatine, Op. 144................................................................Camille Saint Saëns
Joel Patrick, trombone Studio of Dr. Calvin Morris
“Memory”..........................................................Music by Andrew Lloyd Weber from Cats Text by Trevor Nunn after T.S. Eliot
Da’janel Chatmon, soprano Studio of Laura English-Robinson
30 Melodies de Schubert...........................................................Franz Schubert I. Ständchen arr. Miska Hauser
Marlee Carter, violin Studio of Kerren Berz
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT ACADEMY RECITAL II
Dr. Byul Nim “Bea” La | Collaborative Pianist
Concertino in E flat Major, Op. 26......................................Carl Maria Von Weber II. Andante ed. Reginald Kell
Samuel Leyimu, clarinet Studio of Andrew Warwick
“Deh, vieni alla finestra”.........................................Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Don Giovanni Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Alexander Beaty, baritone Studio of Ibukun Babalola
Six Sonatas for Bassoon.....................................................John Ernest Galliard No. 1 in A minor ed. Arthur Weisburg
Shanae Cousley, bassoon Studio of Dantes Rameau
Allegro moderato (from Concertino, Op. 5)...................................Oscar Rieding
Shani Gingrich, violin Studio of Dr. Lana Teko
“A Whole New World”......................................................Music by Alan Menken from Aladdin Text by Tim Rice
Camille Childers, alto Studio of Keeyen Martin
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT ACADEMY RECITAL II
Dr. Byul Nim “Bea” La | Collaborative Pianist
Violin Concerto in A minor, RV 356..............................................Antonio Vivaldi I. Allegro ed. Tivadar Nachéz
Ta’Kari Tatum, violin
Studio of Julie Saxton
Valse Triste, Op. 35, No. 7...........................................................Reinhold Glière ed. Joseph Anderer
Preston Harris, french horn
Studio of Dilon Bryan
Roumanian Folk Dances, Sz.56........................................................Béla Bartók trans. Zoltán Székely
Foster Wilson, violin Studio of Kerren Berz
Oboe Sonata, FP 185.................................................................Francis Poulenc I. Elégie
Nehemiah Preston, oboe Studio of Natalie Beckenbaugh
Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011.............................Johann Sebastian Bach
Priya Gingrich, cello Studio of Ismail Akbar
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, Mick Brons, Jaylen Mize
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
Monicia Banks, Van driver
Nassareen Rahman, Van Driver
Ron Pace, Finance Manager
COMING JUNE 2026
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
COLLEGE & CAREER
SCHOLARSHIPS, EMPLOYMENT, ADVISING ALUMNI STATUS
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
