Rabun Mountains

Rabun County Music Festival 2009 Season

June 14, 2009 -The Sentimental Journey Orchestra
Program:"Music America Loves Best"
Sponsor: Gap Graphics & Printing

Country Club Gig The Sentimental Journey Orchestra was founded in Atlanta in 1975 by a group of musicians who loved the “big band” era and its unique sound. The orchestra’s name came not only from a familiar song title, but also from the emotional connection their audiences experience with the music. The Sentimental Journey Orchestra, which includes three vocalists, plays the familiar melodies of big band leaders like Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, “Count” Basie, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman, in addition to many original arrangements.

June 28, 2009 -The Hotlanta Dixieland Jazz
Program: "Night on Bourbon Street"

Sponsor: J.T. Williams and Kingwood Resort/ Clifford & Jackie Bell
Jazz has been called the only original American art form, and its origins in New Orleans bring to mind sultry nights in the French Quarter. “Hotlanta” was founded in 1990 and has played all over the South, including numerous jazz festivals, as well as gigs on the famous Bourbon Street itself. Familiar favorites from “Fats” Waller, Hoagie Carmichael, and Louis Armstrong are offered for your enjoyment, as well as classics like “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In.”

July 12, 2009 - Mac Frampton and Cecil Welch
Program:"That Mancini Magic"

Sponsor: Tiger Mountain Vineyards/ The Clayton Tribune
Based on classical technique, drawing liberally from jazz and rock idioms, the "rock-alternative" sound of Mac Frampton continues to build a wider audience with every concert. Over the past twenty-four years, Mac and his group have played over 3,000 concerts throughout the world. When the list is compiled of the great pop and jazz trumpet virtuosos of this generation, Cecil Welch must surely be included. When Henry Mancini heard him perform during one of his appearances with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, he asked Cecil to join his permanent traveling entourage. For the next eighteen years, Cecil Welch toured the globe with Mr. Mancini.


August 9, 2009 - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Program:"Special Performance"

Sponsor: United Community Bank
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is widely recognized as a group of world-class musicians and one of America’s great orchestras. Their “Special Performance” at this festival is the highlight of any music lover’s season. The ASO’s Music Director is Robert Spano, formerly Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and also well-known as a conductor of operas. The orchestra is the winner of 26 Grammy Awards, and has toured extensively in the United States and Europe. They have played well-received concerts on many occasions at Carnegie Hall since 1970, and their European concerts have also brought rave reviews.
This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.


August 30, 2009, -Emile Pandolfi in Concert
Program: "By Request"

Sponsor: Anonymous
Emile Pandolfi It has been said that he plays “luxurious arrangements” with an “ethereal quality”; that he plays in a “free-flowing, emotional manner that seems to go to the music’s very soul.” (Stereophile Magazine) Without a doubt, when you hear Emile Pandolfi play, you know that you are hearing one of today’s finest pianists. Receiving his degree in piano performance, Emile applies his classical technique to Broadway and Popular music, in addition to classical performance, to the delight of his many fans. Strong in both technique and musicality, he has performed in many parts of the world throughout his professional career. Best known for his arrangements, Emile’s favorite music to arrange comes from Broadway musicals. “In addition to being melodically fulfilling, these songs usually contain meaningful lyrics and lend themselves to interesting arrangement.” In many of his arrangements, one can hear the influence of Chopin and Debussy, accounting for the sensitivity and passion with which he plays.

September 13, 2009, Georgia Philharmonic
Program: "Festive Fanfares, Opulent Overtures"

Sponsor: Dr. & Mrs. William Hardman/ Persimmon Creek Vineyards
Georgia Philharmonic The Georgia Philharmonic is an all-volunteer orchestra that was originally founded as the Sandy Springs Chamber Orchestra in 1984. It was later re-named Orchestra Atlanta. In 2001 an administrative struggle at the board level was threatening to change the nature of the orchestra from the traditional classical repertoire. The musicians, with their conductor Philip Rice, voted to leave the board of Orchestra Atlanta, created their own board, and took the name Georgia Philharmonic. The musicians hold day jobs, love classical music and play their instruments as a hobby. Rice and visiting soloists get paid, the amateur players do not.