The Asheville Symphony and leading musicians from Asheville’s music
scene—including Lizz Wright, Free Planet Radio, Rising Appalachia and Steep
Canyon Rangers—have collaborated on an innovative new album to be released in May
2016.
Celebrating the diversity of
music in Western North Carolina, The Asheville Symphony Sessions
features songs that combine the unique styles of locally based musicians, with
the Asheville Symphony. The album was produced by Michael Selverne of Welcome
to Mars, at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios.
“This album serves as a
soundtrack for the city,” says ASO Executive Director David Whitehill. “The
Asheville Symphony champions great music, and we’re very fortunate that there
is great music being made here. Not many communities of this size have the kind
of resources—including the symphony musicians, recording engineers, producers,
publicists, arrangers, session musicians and recording studios—that we have in
Asheville.”
Featured artists are Ben Lovett,
Doc Aquatic, Electric Owls, Free Planet Radio featuring Lizz Wright, Matt
Townsend, Rising Appalachia, Shannon Whitworth, and Steep Canyon Rangers. The
album synthesizes a variety of genres including folk, country, roots, rock,
pop, bluegrass, R&B, and jazz, with each track featuring ensembles from the
ASO ranging in size from 9 players to 24.
“This album is life-sized art,
produced here in our community. After 32
years of making records in NY and LA, this is one of the coolest projects I
have worked on,” says producer Michael Selverne. “Working together, I believe
that we have created an incredibly musical record that reflects the spirit and
the soul of our community.”
A number of notable arrangers
worked on the project including Michael Bearden, who works with Lady Gaga and
Neil Young and was Michael Jackson’s musical director for the This Is It tour; Van Dyke Parks, who
composed and arranged the score for Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967) animated film and composed Smile with Brian Wilson and the Beach
Boys; and Jonathan Sacks, a composer and orchestrator who has worked on many
blockbuster films including The Princess
and the Frog (2009), Disney’s Cars
(2006), and Seabiscuit (2003).
“It was amazing to see the bands’
reactions as they heard the symphony musicians bring the orchestral
arrangements of their songs to life. This project is the collaborative effort
of more than 150 people coming together to create something that is uniquely
Asheville,” says Jessica Tomasin, Echo Mountain Recording’s studio manager. “I
love the idea that we are connecting musicians from varying backgrounds and
musical genres in our own community.”
The Asheville Symphony Sessions
will be available through a variety of points of sale, including a number of
local retailers, and worldwide through iTunes and Amazon.com. Visit ashevillesymphony.org/sessions for more
information.
The Asheville
Symphony Orchestra performs and promotes symphonic music for the benefit,
enjoyment and education of the people of Western North Carolina. The ASO
presents concerts in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville’s U.S. Cellular
Center. Related organizations include the Asheville Symphony Guild, Asheville
Symphony Chorus, Asheville Symphonettes, and education initiatives such as the
Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra, Music in the Schools, MusicWorks!,
Spotlight on Young Musicians, Symphony Talk and pre-concert lectures.
