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Memorial Hall will be home to several American symphonic orchestras in the Carolina Performing Arts’ 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons thanks to a $600,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“There’s an opportunity to show the incredible talents of American orchestras from all around this country,” said Emil Kang, UNC’s executive director for the arts.

“Because we have this grant we have this chance to showcase certain styles of music from a certain period, and also new music of American composers, which is a very rare opportunity for us.”

Tonu Kalam, conductor of the UNC Symphony Orchestra, said he is excited by the prospect of world-class American orchestras performing in Chapel Hill.

“We don’t often get the chance to hear a high-caliber orchestral performance,” Kalam said. “There’s just no substitute for the live sound of a great orchestra.”

Though not covered by the foundation’s grant, the various orchestral performances will be accompanied by an academic conference titled “Music and the Line of Most Resistance: Rethinking Aesthetic Complexity.”

This conference will be co-hosted by the UNC Music Department and the Akademie der Kunste in Berlin.

The educational impact of an orchestral concert often extends beyond the walls of Memorial Hall.

“It’s not just performances. We get master classes and all kinds of things,” Kalam said. “The musicians will often work with our students in studio classes or any number of settings.”

“They’re not just performing in a vacuum, which is beneficial for everyone.”

Will Dorsey, who plays trombone in the UNC Symphony Orchestra, said that seeing live American orchestras is necessary for the growth of any aspiring musician.

“Those musicians are our teachers and hopefully future companions,” he said.

“To be able to interact with them on stage is a great opportunity and is something that makes UNC’s music program stand above others.”

Kang also said he is grateful for all of the support CPA has received from the Mellon Foundation and he is proud of how far UNC performing arts has come.

“We really wanted to use our influence crafting and curating programs that have real academic ties that we can use to support our integration efforts, while at the same time provide these enriching experiences that people have come to expect from these concerts,” Kang said.

He said he hopes the grant will also help bridge a gap between CPA’s program and education.

“What we’re trying to demostrate through this grant is the unique ability for the arts to animate learning and to animate issues of the day.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

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