Franklin Special School District
Thanks in large part to an arts-based grant, renowned rock/jazz violinist Tracy Silverman will perform this week for students in the Franklin Special School District as well as members of the general public who wish to take part in this special concert event. Silverman will first perform on Tuesday, May 1, at 8:30 a.m. at Poplar Grove School, with a second performance set for Wednesday, May 2, at 9:30 a.m. at Freedom Intermediate School. The performances are free and open to the public.
Silverman performance style includes rock, fusion, jazz, hip hop, classical, and pop. He was first violinist with the Turtle Island String Quartet and has been featured as a violinist and record producer on CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams wrote his major electric violin concerto, “The Dharma at Big Sur,” expressly for Silverman, who performed it for the gala opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, with the LA Philharmonic. Silverman is currently touring with Jim Brickman, the Windham Hill Winter Solstice Tour, and internationally with the Terry Riley Vigil Band, Caito Marcondes and in solo concerts and various collaborations.
Following his performance at Poplar Grove and Freedom Intermediate School, Silverman will meet and work with middle school string students until noon. After his performance on Wednesday at Freedom Intermediate, he will work with fifth and sixth grade string students until noon. He will also discuss his training and current career with the students.
This special visit and performance is made possible by an Arts Build Communities project grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The ABC Grant was awarded through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee on behalf of the Tennessee Arts Commission and the State of Tennessee to support and promote the innovative nature of the string/orchestra programs Poplar Grove School and Freedom Intermediate School.
For more information about Tracy Silverman, his web site is www.tracysilverman.com. For more information about the local event, please contact Laura Reed, music teacher at Poplar Grove School, 615.790.4721, or by email at reedlau@fssd.org.
