Athens, Ga. – WUGA-TV, the public television station at the University of Georgia, will broadcast the one-hour film ‘ARCO in Venice’ with an initial telecast on Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. Dates and times for subsequent broadcasts are available at http://wugatv.org/. The broadcast documents a concert performed by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s ARCO Chamber Orchestra in Venice, Italy in November 2011.
The 20-member ARCO Chamber Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Franklin Professor of Music Levon Ambartsumian, was invited to play a UNESCO-sponsored concert at the world renowned La Fenice Opera House in Venice. The concert was organized to bring attention to the effects of natural disasters on people’s lives and livelihoods around the world.
“La Fenice is among the most prestigious and glorious performance venues in the world,” said Dale Monson, director of the Hodgson School. “That our students had the opportunity to appear on stage there is a rare honor, reflecting not only the rising visibility of UGA, but also the skill and accomplishment of our students.”
Comprised primarily of students from the Hodgson School of Music, ARCO Chamber orchestra also featured professor of cello David Starkweather, and academic professionals Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva on violin and Anatoly Sheludykov, piano. Originally formed in Moscow, Russia, ARCO was reprised at UGA by Ambartsumian upon his arrival in 1995.
The concert in Venice also featured guest solo performances by Brazilian oboist Alex Klein, Japanese cellist Dai Miyata and University Professor Milton Masciadri. Designated as a “UNESCO Artist for Peace” in 1998, Masciadri helped organize the Venice concert.
In honor of its location, the concert featured an all-Italian program that included works by Nicolo Paganini, Tomaso Albinoni, Antonio Vivaldi and Domenico Cimarosa, including a work by J.S. Bach arranged by Ottorino Respighi and a sonatina by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
‘ARCO in Venice’ was produced and directed by Alan Flurry in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
WUGA-TV is operated by the University of Georgia in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. Funding for WUGA-TV and its affiliated radio station WUGA-FM is provided in part through sponsorships, underwriting and listener contributions. For more information on WUGA-TV, see http://wugatv.org/.
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