UGA’s ARCO Chamber Orchestra has been invited to participate in a benefit concert in Venice, Italy, sponsored by UNESCO as part of a three-day international conference called “The Future of Venice and its Lagoon in the Context of Global Change.”
The concert will take place Nov. 13 in the Gran Teatro La Fenice and will be one leg of a musical tour in Northern Italy by ARCO from Nov. 11-17.
ARCO Chamber Orchestra is an internationally recognized string ensemble of students and faculty in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Two UGA faculty members, Milton Masciadri and Levon Ambartsumian, will be guest soloists at the Venice event, along with Alex Klein, former principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony, and Japanese cellist Day Miyata. The opening gala concert is part of UNESCO’s efforts to raise funds to support its program on risk preparedness.
“It is an honor for one of our ensembles to be asked to play this event in Venice,” said Dale Monson, director of the music school. “Having our students perform on one of the world’s most prestigious stages will be a rare educational opportunity and will bring significant attention to UGA and the Hodgson School of Music.”
ARCO’s invitation and participation was arranged though the UNESCO Artists for Peace program, of which UGA’s Masciadri has been a designated member since 1998.
In all, 22 students, faculty and staff will travel to Italy for the tour that includes the UNESCO event. To support the trip, the music school has invited donors and members of the UGA community to accompany the group to Venice to attend the gala concert and the next evening’s concert in Verona, as well as embark on a musical tour of the city. Interested parties should contact the music school by email (edith@uga.edu) by Sept. 23 to reserve their place in the tour. A send-off concert and fundraiser for the trip featuring the ARCO Chamber Orchestra will take place Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. Tickets, $10 and $5 for students, are available through the Performing Arts Center box office.
