Symphosium Akron Symphony Orchestra

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins to talk about our 2021-22 concert season, which continues our commitment to presenting a diverse musical experience to Northeast Ohio.
With classics from Beethoven’s Fifth to Handel’s Water Music, jazz-influenced works by Duke Ellington and Aldemaro Romero, innovative works for Korean dancers and a collaboration with Akron-based EarthQuaker Devices, and a spotlight on composers who deserve greater recognition like Florence Price, Julia Perry and William Dawson, the upcoming season is filled  variety and vitality.
The episode also includes a few samples of the music that we will perform during the season.
The full concert schedule, along with information about subscriptions and single tickets, is available on the Akron Symphony’s website.

In this episode, we are joined by co-host Ken Heinlein, principal tuba of the ASO, for a talk with composer David Biedenbender about his career, his influences and his music.
The Akron Symphony will perform David’s Kyrie (for Machaut and Pärt) as part of its Outside Voices Concert Series in the summer of 2021.
David Biedenbender, a composer, conductor, performer, educator, and interdisciplinary collaborator. He has written music for the concert stage as well as for dance and multimedia collaborations, and his work is often influenced by his diverse musical experiences in rock and jazz bands as an electric bassist, in wind, jazz, and New Orleans-style brass bands as a euphonium, bass trombone, and tuba player, and by his study of Indian Carnatic music.
His creative interests include working with everyone from classically trained musicians to improvisers, acoustic chamber music to large ensembles, and interactive electronic interfaces to live brain data.
In addition to composing, David is a dedicated teacher and is currently an Associate Professor of Composition in the College of Music at Michigan State University.
Learn more about David’s work on his website, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Dudack, who has been a member of our percussion section since 2000, to talk about his career in music, the history (and his love) of the steel drum, the best drummers of all time, and more as part of our ASO Conversation series.
Matt Dudack is a senior lecturer in music at The University of Akron School of Music Percussion Department and the Artistic Director of The University of Akron Steel Drum Band. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Hartt School and a master’s degree in percussion performance from The University of Akron. 
Under his direction The University of Akron Steel Drum Band has received many accolades, including Grammy and Emmy award nominations, and has performed for such dignitaries as President Bill Clinton and (then candidate) Barack Obama. 
Matt is co-founder of the Akros Percussion Collective, a chamber group which performs contemporary music internationally. He also leads Found Sounds, a group which performs in-school educational concerts for the Children's Concert Society of Summit County  and throughout Northeast Ohio. He is also on the faculties of the Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Akron and Canton Country Day School in Canton. 
To learn more the Akron Symphony, including our Outdoor Voices Concert series, visit out website.

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins to talk about the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s return to the concert stage after 16 months with the Outside Voices Concert Series.
The six-concert series will be presented free of charge throughout the Akron community this summer, and focus on the music of under-represented composers who are “outside” of the standard repertoire, along with numerous audience favorites.
The full concert concert schedule, along with other information about the series, is available on the Akron Symphony’s website.

In this episode, we sit down with John Gruber, our principal trombone player who has been a member of the Orchestra since 2018, to talk about his career in music, Mozart’s use of the trombone in his compositions, the craft beer scene in Akron, the merits of Star Trek and more as part of our ASO Conversation series.
In addition to the ASO, John also serves as principal trombonist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, as well as second trombone in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. 
John is an assistant professor of trombone at Oberlin College & Conservatory, and his teaching career has included posts at Ohio State University, Siena Heights University, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles, and the public school system in Barnesville, Ohio, where he served as band director. He is also a faculty member of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
To hear a performance from John, check out Oberlin’s YouTube channel for a faculty recital featuring John and Jeff Scott, associate professor of French horns.
To learn more about all the ways that you can experience the Akron Symphony, visit our ASO at Home page. There you will find musical performances, musician interviews, podcast episodes, and a variety of educational resources.

In this episode, we sit down with Heidi Aufdenkamp Peck, a clarinet player with the Akron Symphony Orchestra since 1994, to talk about her career in music, her tenure with the ASO, what she has been working on during the past year, and more as part of our ASO Conversation series.
Heidi Aufdenkamp Peck is a professional clarinet player in the Akron Symphony Orchestra and private lesson teacher. 
Heidi earned her master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Fred Ormand. Her bachelor’s degree is from The University of Akron, where she studied with David Bell. While attending Louisville High School, she studied with Dan Roberdeau. Other teachers include Mark Nuccio, Ron Samuels, and John Weigand.
Heidi’s performing groups have included a tour with Barry Manilow and the Youngstown Symphony in 2012, a soloist with the University of Pittsburgh Chamber Orchestra, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, and the woodwind quintet Cincopation. Learn more about Heidi at her website or on her YouTube channel.
To learn more about all the ways that you can experience the Akron Symphony, visit our ASO at Home page. There you will find musical performances, musician interviews, podcast episodes, and a variety of educational resources.