Honey and Blue

Dear Friends,

The Ashland Symphony Orchestra warmly welcomes you to our 55th season! Our Grammy Award-winning Music Director and Conductor, Michael Repper, with his unwavering enthusiasm, creativity, and passion, is embarking on his third year leading the orchestra. Michael continues to curate a diverse repertoire that blends both traditional and innovative selections, expanding the boundaries of ASO’s musical exploration. Guided by the exceptional talents of our ensemble of musicians, whom we wholeheartedly applaud for their outstanding contributions, we eagerly anticipate another year filled with high quality performances. Together, our musicians, conductor, board of directors, and Executive Director work in a collaborative spirit to deliver symphonic experiences that unite, educate, and enrich our community through the transformative power of orchestral music. Please join us on the journey. We hope you find it inspiring and refreshing. We sincerely thank you for your support.
Happy Listening!

Allan Andersen, President
ASO Board of Directors

Dear Ashland Symphony Orchestra Patrons,

I’m finding it hard to believe that this is already the start of my third season as Music Director of the Ashland Symphony. Ashland is one of the most special places anywhere in the world. Nowhere else that I have traveled exhibits the same level of community spirit and harmony, two of the most important ingredients for sustaining orchestral music. The symphony truly lives up to its moniker of being a jewel of Ashland County — indeed it is a jewel of the world!

An Ashland Symphony Orchestra Fan Club member named this season “Invigorated!” I couldn’t agree more. Each concert packs an excitement that you will feel viscerally, and the orchestra will continue to cement its reputation for energetic performances and versatile programming. We look forward to performing music from across the spectrum, new and old, familiar and unfamiliar, in an accessible and inviting way. Please, don’t forget to come early to the pre-concert talks, where we have the opportunity to connect deeper about the music!

See you at Archer, everyone! It’s going to be a great year —

Michael Repper
Music Director and Conductor
Ashland Symphony Orchestra

Here’s to another decade (I hope!) with the ASO. As the season title suggests, I am invigorated and looking forward to the exciting and unexpected works programmed by Michael Repper. This year will combine new pieces with old favorites and showcase music composed by women and people of color as well as the old masters; and we will share the stage with the magnificent violinist Grace Park and the Columbus duo Honey and Blue.

When I asked the Fan Club to help with titles for the season and the concerts, Ashland High School student Eva Early got to work. She came up with “Invigorated” and titled 4 of the 6 concerts. We are fortunate to have so many young listeners attend our concerts and support the ASO with their enthusiasm and volunteerism. For more information about the Fan Club, visit https://www.ashlandsymphony.org/fan-club/.

Be sure to invite your friends, family, and colleagues to come “Listen to what people are talking about!”

Martha Buckner
Executive Director
Ashland Symphony Orchestra

Conductor Michael Repper’s work spans six continents. In 2023, he became the youngest North American conductor to win a Grammy® Award in Best Orchestral Performance. He has an international reputation for engaging and exciting audiences of all spectrums, and for promoting new and diverse musical talents.

Repper is currently the Music Director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia.  He recently concluded tenures as Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, and as Principal Conductor of Sinfonía por el Perú, the elite youth orchestras and choruses of one of South America’s most versatile social impact music programs. Repper was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conducting Fellow for two seasons, and he served as the BSO’s New Music Consultant. Recognizing his success at these ensembles, and his growing profile as a guest conductor all over the world, Repper was awarded a Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

His album with the New York Youth Symphony, which features debut recordings of works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Valerie Coleman, achieved widespread critical acclaim, reached #1 on the Billboard Chart, and won a Grammy® Award, marking the first time a youth orchestra achieved this milestone.

Repper has collaborated on large-scale productions of symphonic and theatrical works with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, Peabody Institute of Music, and the New School of Music, among others. An avid pianist, he regularly performs as a soloist alongside his orchestras.

​Alongside the standard repertoire, Repper is especially invested in programming new music and showcasing fresh talent. His ensembles have performed dozens of world premieres and pursued innovative commissions, as well as a variety of Carnegie Hall premieres from established and emerging composers.

His experience with choruses has been recognized with significant positions, including his tenure as the Music Director at the Baltimore Basilica, the first Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Internationally, Repper has performed with highly regarded ensembles and in the world’s greatest venues, including the São Paulo Symphony, and at the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Carnegie Hall, and others.

His discography includes the aforementioned album of music with the New York Youth Symphony, alongside an album with the Grammy®-Nominated Metropolis Ensemble and Grammy®-Winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus (“Musical America”), and several with the Peabody Institute as an Assistant Conductor. With the New York Youth Symphony during the Coronavirus pandemic, he was one of the first to pioneer the practice of distanced orchestral performance videos, and he made two performance appearances on CNN, the final one with Platinum-Artist Billy Ray Cyrus.

Repper complements his work with professional orchestras with a firm commitment to education, and travels worldwide to work with ensembles of young musicians. As Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Maryland, he ushered in a slate of innovative educational programming, such as the Reinecke Youth Chamber Music Scholarship and Fellowship Program. He has conducted several masterclasses for orchestras from all over the United States on behalf of the New York Philharmonic, and conducts side-by-side and educational concerts with major orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, and the Sarasota Orchestra.
​
Repper’s most influential conducting mentors are Marin Alsop and the late Gustav Meier. He believes that a conductor’s main role is to connect people and to use performance as a vehicle for positive change. He aims to promote a diverse and inclusive future for the arts, and to pay forward the passion for community that his mentors demonstrated to him.

The Duo in Perfect Harmony

Honey and Blue, a self-described blend of pop and soul music, is fronted by singer/songwriters Adam Darling and Stephanie Amber. Not only are they capable songwriters in their own right, which has allowed them to open for major artists including Bettye Lavette, Aloe Blacc, Charlie Hunter, and more, they are also well versed in performing cover songs with a fresh spin to fit every setting they are involved in.

The band most recently released their full-length album ‘Bloom’ which features 10 new songs, one of which is produced by, and featuring, world renowned musician Charlie Hunter, who has worked with the likes of D’Angelo, John Mayer, Mos Def, Norah Jones, and countless others.

Being a couple themselves and performing together for over 10 years has given this duo the unique perspective to truly craft the perfect live music experience for your event. Honey and Blue have been featured on ABC 6 Good Morning Columbus, Broad and High (PBS), and their Tiny Desk performance of ‘Picture Perfect’ was featured on NPR.org. Vocalist Stephanie Amber was also recently featured at The Harmony Project’s 10th Anniversary celebration at the Nationwide Arena, leading a choir of over 600 with over 10,000 people in attendance, as well as being a featured vocalist for the popular online sensation Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ).

Honey and Blue have independently toured, and they have performed at countless festivals such as; Jazz and Ribs Festival, Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, Ann Arbor Summer Festival: Top Of The Park, Columbus Arts Festival – opening for Postmodern Jukebox, Stonewall Pride Festival – opening for Martha Wash, Brite Winter Fest, and many more..

Website: https://www.honeyandblue.com/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ZfyKOE6FNHEcvxaQXKPWh?si=kDBmi7L2QsSPx3Q3Yaq2Qw

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/honeyandblue/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HoneyandBlue/

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/honeyandblue/

Live Performance(s):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPBeYgrjSaI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4GUN_RvEak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lVxg99rru8

The Ashland Symphony Orchestra thanks

Our ushers and volunteers

Philip McNaull, Technical Director
Aidan Campbell, Assistant Technical Director
Gabe Plank, Sound Engineer
Addi Bonfiglio, ASO Fan Club Member and Sound Intern
Seth Morrison, Stage Manager
Bryce Bishop, Assistant Stage Manager
Jen Burford, House Manager

Ashland City Schools for its continued support of the arts

Roger Price, Professional Voice Actor & Announcer, www.RogerzVoice.com

Please silence all electronic devices.
No flash photography or audio/visual recording permitted.
No food or drink permitted in the Robert M. & Janet L. Archer Auditorium.

Thank you for your cooperation.

In 1997, Bob and Jan Archer established the first donor fund through the Ashland County Community Foundation to benefit the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. The ASO then partnered with the ACCF in 1999 and created the “Ashland Symphony Orchestra Fund in Memorium of James E. Thomas”. Since then, three new agency funds and fourteen additional donor advised or designated funds have been established! The Ashland County Community Foundation can assist you in creating a fund to benefit the Ashland Symphony Orchestra now or as part of your estate plan. For more information, call the Foundation at 419-281-4733.

Donations may be made to existing endowments at any time. Contact the Foundation for more information www.ashlandforgood.org.

*To contribute to these funds, please send donation to Ashland Symphony Orchestra, 401 College Ave., Ashland, OH 44805.

The Ashland Symphony Orchestra is thankful for the following funds:

Robert M. & Janet L. Archer Fund est. 1997

Ashland Symphony Orchestra Fund in Memorium of James E. Thomas est. 1999*

ASO Podium Endowment Fund in Honor of Maestro Arie Lipsky est. 2018*

ASO Harold Weller Music Education Endowment Fund est. 2019*
gift from Nick & Edna Weller Charities: Harold & Betsy Weller and Thomas Weller

ASO Rev. John H. Landrum Memorial Endowed Chair for Flute 2 est. 2020*
gift from Marybelle H. Landrum

Ashland Symphony Orchestra est. 2000

Mary M. Case Memorial Fund est. 2005

Ann K. Guthrie Fund est. 2009

Arie Lipsky Honorary Endowment Fund est. 2010

Kopp Family Fund est. 2011

Dr. Alvin W. Garrett Fund est. 2017

William and Marlene Rose Fund est. 2017

J. Robert and Ruth L. Tipton Fund est. 2017

Dr. JoAnn Ford Watson Fund est. 2017

Dr. Beverly Bixler Fund est. 2018

Billy Harris Charitable Fund est. 2018

Lawrence and Catherine Hiner Endowed Chair for Percussion of the ASO Fund est. 2020

John R. Donelson for the benefit of the ASO est. 2021

Elizabeth Pastor Fund for the benefit of the ASO est. 2021

F. Dean and Joan Bartosic Family Fund for the benefit of the ASO est. 2023

Julia A. Wright Fund for the benefit of the ASO Fund est. 2024