The National Symphony Orchestra will perform at Farthing Auditorium on March 17 as part of ASU’s 2005 Performing Arts Series. Renowned Symphony Orchestra Comes to Boone Concert at Farthing Auditorium March 17 Special to The Mountain Times North Carolina has been selected as the state for the National Symphony Orchestra’s 2005 American Residencies initiative, and Boone has been chosen as one of eight cities and towns to participate in this remarkable outreach program, organized by the North Carolina Arts Council. Between March 8th and 19th, the orchestra’s whirlwind tour through North Carolina will include eight orchestral concerts, including three concerts for young people, and more than 150 education and performance activities in all regions of the state. A public performance by the orchestra, under the baton of one of the most brilliant and inspired conductors of our time, Music Director Leonard Slatkin, is scheduled for Thursday, March 17 at 8 pm in Boone. The performance will take place in Farthing Auditorium, and is presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Cultural Affairs, as the final performance in the university’s 2004-05 Performing Arts Series. The concert program will feature Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in G Major (“Surprise Symphony”) and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7 in d minor. In addition to the public performance, the orchestra will perform two matinee Young People’s Concerts earlier that day for third, fourth, and fifth graders from Watauga, Ashe, and Avery Counties, arranged in cooperation with the Watauga County Arts Council and Watauga County Schools; the Ashe County Arts Council and Ashe County Schools; and the Avery Arts Council and Avery County Schools. SkyBest Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Skyline Telephone Membership Corporation, is the local corporate sponsor for the performance and residency activities. As the orchestra of the nation’s capital and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Symphony Orchestra is one of the world’s most celebrated musical treasures. Under the leadership of Maestro Slatkin, the symphony has garnered international acclaim for its interpretations of the core repertory, championing American music, commissioning new works for the new millennium, and taking its place as one of the premier orchestras in the U.S. and in the world. During the orchestra’s visit to Boone on March 16 and 17, musicians will conduct over 30 intensive community outreach activities for students of all age levels, traveling throughout Watauga and surrounding counties. The residency will bring together the symphony’s musicians and public school students in Watauga, Ashe, Avery, and Alleghany Counties. Residency activities are also scheduled with students of ASU’s Hayes School of Music, several A+ elementary schools in the region, UNC Asheville’s Chamber Ensemble, Hickory High School String Orchestra, and the Junior Appalachian Musicians in Sparta. The National Symphony Orchestra American Residencies for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are made possible by the Kennedy Center with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Media sponsors for Appalachian’s Performing Arts Series include the Mountain Times, Watauga Democrat, WFDD Public Radio, WNCW-FM, WDAV – Classical 89.9 fm, WETS-FM, Aisling Broadcasting, Mountain Television Network, and Charter Communications, Inc. Tickets to the March 17 evening performance are $16, with $14 tickets for seniors and ASU faculty and staff, and $8 for students. For more information or to order tickets, call the Farthing Auditorium Box Office at 800.841.2787 or 262.4046 in the Boone area. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are also available online at: www.oca.appstate.edu. For additional information about the National Symphony Orchestra’s residency program, please call ASU’s Office of Cultural Affairs at 828.262.6084.