Juan Ramirez, Conductor

Juan Ramirez, violinist and founder of the Atlanta Virtuosi Foundation, Inc., began his studies in Mexico with Ivo Valenti and Vladimir Vulfman. His studies with Henryk Szeyng began at the age of fourteen, and continued as he became his principal mentor in Mexico, the U.S. and Europe. While in Boston attending the New England Conservatory of Music, Mr. Ramirez was privileged to study with Joseph Silverstein. In the symphony orchestra, he has played under Leonard Bernstein, Eric Leinsdorf, Colin Davis, William Steinberg, Leon Barzin, Bruno Maderna, Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. Service in the Boston and Pittsburgh Symphonies preceded his acceptance of a permanent position with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to his residence in the United States, Mr. Ramirez toured Israel, Europe and the Orient with the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico, and was a member of the Xalapa Symphony, National University Symphony, the Opera Orchestra and the National Symphony of Mexico.

While under the tutorage of the eminent pedagogue and conductor, Leon Barzin, Mr. Ramirez was the recipient of both the Serge Koussevitsky and Leonard Bernstein Awards, and a prize-winning violinist at the Berkshire Music Festival. The distinguished composer-conductor Gunther Schuller says of Ramirez: "I have unqualified faith in Mr. Ramirez as a violinist and a musical leader of great artistic integrity...Whatever he undertakes is touched by quality..."

Mr. Ramirez plays a number of instruments, including the guitar, mandolin and marimba, and as a composer is noted for his compositions and arrangements commissioned by the Hispanic Festival of the Arts. Influenced by his native land, his work, "Suite Huasteca" for violin, strings, and guitar, received critical acclaim both in Atlanta and in Mexico. He has also written numerous articles in the field of ethnomusicology. His most recent compositions include "Anahuac" for tenor, soprano, winds, strings, guitar, harpsichord and pre-Colombian percussion, commissioned in 1993 by the ACOG - Cultural Olympiad as part of !Mexico! A Cultural Tapestry, and "Suite Criolla" for chorus, narrator and orchestra, with tenor and soprano solo, premiered in March, 1995 at the Hispanic Festival of the Arts.

Mr. Ramirez has been a member of the faculties of Georgia State University and Spelman College, and has participated in music panels for DeKalb Council for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, City of Atlanta, Georgia Council for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts International - The Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions, and the U.S. Information Agency - Arts America Program. He was a member of the Cultural Olympiad Advisory Council, and served on the advisory board of both the New World Symphony and the Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra National Advisory Council. He is the founder of the Hispanic Festival of the Arts, and Casa de la Cultura de Atlanta. Mr. Ramirez serves on the Board of Directors of CURE Childhood Cancer and the International Village Cultural & Community Center, Inc. A frequent panelist and clinician, he most recently served on the jury of the Sphinx 2000 Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Ramirez is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta, Class of 1999.

Kenn Wagner, Concert Master

Kenn Wagner, Kenn Wagner, first violinist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, began focusing his studies toward a musical career at age thirteen ,after soloing with the New Orleans and Arlington, Virginia Symphonies. Driven to play in a great orchestra someday, he trained under Joseph Gingold, former Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, and Vernon Summers, violinist with the National Symphony. Before graduating from Indiana University, he won his first position with the New Jersey Symphony. While finishing his Bachelor Degree, playing with New Jersey, and substituting in the Baltimore Symphony, Kenn auditioned and joined the Atlanta Symphony in 1994, with the aid of coaching from William Steck, Concertmaster of the National Symphony. With his dream realized, he has enjoyed substituting with chamber music groups such as The Riverside Chamber Players, The Atlanta Chamber Players, fund raising concerts with the Georgian Chamber Players, and Awadagin Pratt's Next generation festival. Kenn has appeared as soloist and concertmaster with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra, performing the Barber, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Glazanov violin concertos with a reengagement this season performing the Beethoven concerto. Last season he also joined the Camerata at Kennesaw University as soloist performing the Haydn C Major concerto. Mr. Wagner has served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster for Atlanta Symphony Orchestra during the 2004-05 season and has been Principal Second and Assistant Concertmaster of the Wintergreen Music Festival in Wintergreen, Virginia.

Orchestra Members - Atlanta Area Musicians

The orchestra is composed of musicians from the Atlanta area who perform on a volunteer basis. Membership includes advanced music students, music teachers, semi-professional, professional and former professional instrumentalists. The orchestra is comprised of all age groups, there is a span of over 50 years between the youngest and oldest member of the orchestra