Issuu

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.

AYAHNAH GLYMPH

BEGINNER DOUBLE REEDS

Ayahnah Glymph is an oboist and educator attending Georgia State University. She works with public schools in the Atlanta area, teaching oboe and marching band. In addition to teaching and performing, Glymph is a devoted brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, the National Honorary Band Fraternity. She has also served in multiple leadership positions throughout the school of music and band programs at GSU. In her free time, she likes to make art and play games with her friends.

NATALIE

BECKENBAUGH

OBOE LEVEL II

Natalie earned her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Mark Ostoich. She later completed a Master’s Degree at Carnegie Mellon University under Cynthia DeAlmeida, Principal Oboist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. During her studies, Natalie served as a teaching assistant, performed in recording sessions and recitals, competed in chamber music competitions, and organized community outreach programs.

Based in Atlanta, Natalie maintains a private studio and teaches at Carere Music, Atlanta Music Project, Atlanta Music Academy, and New School of Music. She also works as a music specialist with residents in assisted living facilities.

An active performer, Natalie has appeared with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and LaGrange Symphony.

Natalie is passionate about helping students discover the lifelong joy and enrichment that music can bring.

LAZARA B. SANTANA BASSOON

LEVEL II

Lazara B. Santana is a Cuban bassoonist and educator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, she began studying the bassoon at age nine and later graduated with honors from the University of the Arts in Havana. In Cuba, she performed with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Gran Teatro Alicia Alonso, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, while also serving as a Bassoon Teaching Assistant.

After relocating to the United States, Lazara earned a Master of Music in Orchestral Instrument Performance from Georgia State University, where she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and won first prize in the Brumby Aria and Concerto Competition.

She is currently Bassoon Adjunct Faculty at Morehouse College and Reinhardt University, Principal Bassoonist of the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Orchestra, and a Bassoon Teaching Artist with the Atlanta Music Project. Deeply committed to music education, she maintains a private bassoon studio and supports organizations that expand access to music for young musicians.

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP beginner double reeds

Ayahnah Glymph | Conductor

Au Claire De La Lune...................................................................Bruce Pearson Down By the Station...................................................................Bruce

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP bassoon level I

Ayahnah Glymph | Conductor Merrily We Roll Along..................................................................Bruce

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP oboe level I trio

Ayahnah Glymph | Conductor Hot Cross Buns...........................................................................Bruce

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP oboe level II

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP bassoon level II

Lazara Santana | Conductor

Folk Song......................................................................................J.E. Skoricka

Violin Concerto Op. 77, Mvt. 2.................................................Johannes Brahms arr. FM

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP oboe & bassoon ensemble

Ayahnah Glymph | Conductor

Progressive Melody No. 3............................................................A.M.R. Barrett

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP oboe & bassoon

OBOE I

Grant Joseph

ViVee Joy Wesley

Kiari Moore

Olivia Davis

BeFaithful Swatt

OBOE II

Jayce Johnson

Joseph Banks

Bailee Yielder

BASSOON I

Christopher Davis

Kingston Wesley

BASSOON II

AnaMaria Donahue

Nadia Caldwell

Syrus Paul

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