The New Albany Symphony (NASO) is a community orchestra bringing professional, adult and student musicians together for a concert series at the McCoy Center for the Arts and the Hinson Amphitheater in New Albany, Ohio. In addition to performing a Symphony Series, a Sensory Friendly Series, and a Patriotic concert in July, NASO provides opportunities for the students and community of New Albany and its surrounding areas to deepen its appreciation for the arts through educational outreach with guest artists, and collaborations with area arts organizations.
NASO was designed by its founders to be a true community orchestra, in which students are mentored by professional musicians, talented community musicians have a stage on which to perform, and professional musicians have an additional outlet for their craft. Founded in 2007 by New Albany resident and violist Heather Garner, the New Albany Symphony Orchestra is proud to serve the community as its resident symphony orchestra.
The New Albany Symphony Orchestra’s mission is to enrich, educate, entertain, and inspire creativity through the arts to people of all ages and backgrounds.
A strong component of the New Albany Symphony Orchestra’s mission is music education, and our commitment to even the youngest student musician in the orchestra is that he or she will perform on at least one piece per concert. The orchestra offers free master classes, a sensory-friendly series for our friends in the autism and dementia/Alzheimer’s communities, and a student concerto competition, in which talented young people from all over the state compete to win the opportunity to perform a concerto on stage in front of a live audience. Additionally, the orchestra collaborates with many area arts organizations and schools. Ticket prices are kept low – even offering free tickets to our underserved partners – to ensure that the art of classical music remains accessible to the people of New Albany and our surrounding areas.
Benefits Of A Community Orchestra
Audience Connection: Seeing familiar faces on stage breaks the “high brow” barrier associated with going to the symphony.
Programming designed for the community: Through competitions, NASO will give local composers the opportunity to compose for the Symphony and student musicians the opportunity to appear as soloists. We can program music to supplement the curriculum in the New Albany schools and consider requests from the community. We often feature guest artists with ties to Columbus.
Valuable experiences for young musicians: Sitting next to seasoned players in a formal orchestra setting is a prestigious and invaluable learning experience.
Semi-professional level of performance: A community orchestra provides adults who enjoy music as a hobby the opportunity to perform.
The New Albany Symphony Orchestra has a modest annual budget, funded by government grants, corporate sponsorships, private donations, and ticket sales. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts!
