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Fine Arts Summer Academy 2014 brings together faith and music

Annie Dupre | 

Public invited to finale concert by hundreds of teens trained by the Annie Moses Band July 24

July 12 was the first day of the annual Fine Arts Summer Academy, held annually on Lipscomb University’s campus by the Annie Moses Band. The academy draws hundreds of children and teens from across the nation for intensive musical instruction in everything from big band music to mandolin.

Children both young and old attend master classes and other classes in various instruments, voice, musical theater, composition, drama and dance. The final gala performance of all the upper division students will take place Thursday, July 24, at the Grand Ole Opry House at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through the www.opry.com website.

Read on for a firsthand description of the camp from Annie Dupre, singer/violinist for the Annie Moses Band, the Juilliard-trained, Nashville-native pop string band of PBS fame, and artistic director of the Conservatory of Annie Moses:

 

Five years ago, I walked through the office door of Walt Leaver, Lipscomb vice president for university relations, in hopes of finding a partner in a timely and vital mission. As the lead singer/violinist of the classical crossover group, Annie Moses Band, I had seen firsthand the artistic fire that was lit in young people when they saw us perform. Over the years, we had held arts events in the summer to meet that need, coaching and discipling young performers. From that hard work, a vision had awoken in our minds, a vision for reversing the decline of the arts by creating transformational performance experiences for young people. 

We needed a long-term partner in bringing that vision to a new level. Walking through the door of Walt's office that day, I never dreamed we would find a kindred spirit whose passion for young people and the arts matched our own. Now for the past five years, we have had the wonderful experience of partnering with Lipscomb University in hosting one of the largest educational arts events in Music City: the Fine Arts Summer Academy.

FASA is an intensive artistic endeavor where hundreds of young artists gather to perform in dozens of configurations and disciplines, from orchestra and jazz band, to vocal quartets and fiddle ensembles. Our vision is to unlock the practice room and put players on the stage after two weeks of intensive training. During the two-week program, students hone their craft through jazz theory, classical technique, improvisation and live performance. FASA students are dedicated young artists driven to realize their artistic dreams.

Those dreams would not be possible without the generous contributions of Lipscomb University. Every year, Lipscomb partners with the Fine Arts Summer Academy to achieve an ambitious vision – to populate the world of the arts with a new generation that is highly skilled and spiritually grounded. We can't wait to see what the future holds for FASA; through the commitment of partners like Lipscomb, we know that the arts will continue to flourish in Nashville and beyond.

This year, FASA will be concluding with a spectacular performance by the Summer Pops Young Artists Symphony & Chorus. "Copland to Cash: An American Rhapsody" will premiere July 14, at 7:30 p.m., at the Grand Ole Opry House. This final gala show features a plethora of musical favorites from Motown, Muscle Shoals and L.A.'s Troubadour (Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor), to film legends like John Williams and Burt Bacharach. The show includes more than 150 young musicians, conducted by the Cape Cod Symphony's electrifying maestro Jung-Ho Pak in a spectacular evening of music. We hope you will join us on July 14 and support the mission of bringing the arts to the next generation. 

- Annie Dupre, Annie Moses Band