ONE OF THE DOWNERS about this job is the incredibly regular schedule, issue after issue, week after week, with only a short break before you have to start the grind all over again.
On the other hand, one of the great things about this job is the incredibly regular schedule, issue after issue, etc., which allows you to move on quickly in case you have a really bad week.
Last week we had just such a bad week, in which we published a couple of stupid errors that I now must acknowledge in full before eating several helpings of crow.
First off, some incorrect information on the dates of the Little Theatre’s The Nerd was posted at the end of the article about the great production at the Ark Theatre. (Info about the play in last week’s Week at a Glance was correct, however.)
And also, for reasons unknown, I became convinced in last week’s Note that the “Football, Frosted, and Fireworks” celebration of Daffin Park’s 100th anniversary was Saturday, not Sunday. I wanted to attend the event, but to be honest with you I was embarrassed to show my face around there after making the error. I hope everyone had fun!
So, for the record: Little Theatre’s The Nerd has four shows left. They are — and this is cut-and-pasted straight from an e-mail I just received from them — as follows:
Friday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 1 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.
E-mail reservations@littletheatreofsavannah.org or call 631-3773. You can also buy tickets at www.littletheatreofsavannah.org.
I’m trying to build back up some good karma here, so for goodness sake go see The Nerd and tell ‘em I sent you!
So to move on — and fully realizing that at this point if I told you 2+2=4 you would immediately reach for a calculator — I wanted to call attention to one of the most remarkable and least-publicized local arts organizations, the Armstrong Atlantic Youth Orchestra.
This past Tuesday, Nov. 20, the organization gave their fall concert in conjunction with two other incredible groups, the Armstrong Atlantic Chamber Orchestra and the Lyric Strings Ensemble.
These young musicians, performing under the auspices of AASU’s Department of Art, Music & Theatre, range in age from about nine up to college, in an effort that simply has no equal anywhere in this region.
The full-size Youth Orchestra, under the baton of Neil Casey, comprises AASU music students playing for credit. Tuesday night they offered selections from Dvorak (Slavonic Dance No. 46), Smetana (“The Moldau”), and Frescobaldi. Some audience members were shaking their heads afterward at how good this group is.
The Chamber Orchestra, the only full-size such ensemble in the state, pro or amateur, also comprises AASU music students. Under the direction of Lorraine Jones and Emily Calhoun, they played selections from Daniels, Piccini, and Saint-Saens.
The two Lyric Strings ensembles, I and II, comprise area schoolchildren who audition for the seats. Under the batons of Kerri Peterson Sellman and Gretchen Frazier, the little ones took on Bartok, Holst, Purcell, and Bach.
Inspired by the quality of these efforts, I’ve made a verbal commitment to some local musicians to officially move away from the standard apocalyptic “in the wake of the demise of the Savannah Symphony” tabloid style of covering local classical music.
As someone with the group told me last week, the Youth Orchestra and affiliated ensembles are teaching and serving far greater numbers of local young musicians than ever were taught and served during the supposed “good old days” of the Savannah Symphony.
With the proven quality and success of the AASU groups and the Savannah Sinfonietta, and with the Savannah Concert Association bringing in acts like Charles Wadsworth and Friends (as happens this Saturday at the Lucas), I think it’s time to put the Savannah Symphony firmly where it belongs — in the past — and look ahead with optimism to classical music’s bright future here. 
Jim Morekis is editor-in-chief of Connect Savannah. E-mail him at
