SYMPHONY NAMES RANDY FISHER DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Jul 17, 2006

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow

Randy Fisher was recently named Director of Education for the Spokane Symphony. This new position signals the Spokane Symphony's increased commitment to music education programs for both children and adults. For many years, the Symphony has been a leader in area music education, taking live music into schools and non-traditional venues throughout the region.

Randy Fisher brings an exciting and diverse background in music education. With support from Foundation Northwest, we are able to bring him to Spokane to lead us to the next level of music education for students and their parents throughout the Inland Northwest, said Brenda Nienhouse, executive director.

Fisher comes to Spokane from Virginia, where he has served as Education Director successively for the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony and Young Audiences of Virginia. The key elements of programs he created for these organizations are a variety of student participation onstage with the artists, youth concerts structured on inter-disciplinary activities, and the involvement of community organizations in concerts and surrounding events.

He pursued musical ambitions following graduate studies in Early Childhood Education at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA. As a professional violist, he has been directly involved with arts education throughout his 20-year performing career, in string quartets, Young Audiences ensembles and especially for a number of orchestras that sponsor ensembles - like the SSO's SEED Ensembles - performing a range of school and community programs annually. As a member of the Colorado Symphony (Denver), he participated in the creation of the orchestra's education programs.

Fisher served as Principal Violist for the symphonies of Sacramento, Omaha, Savannah and Orquesta de Euskadi in Spain. He has taught violin, viola and chamber music at the Hong Kong Conservatory, Colorado College, Denver School of the Arts, Old Dominion University, the Norfolk Governor's School for the Arts, and with the students of the Hampton Roads Chamber Players in Norfolk. As a conductor, he has led amateur orchestras in Colorado Springs, Denver and Hong Kong and initiated a chamber orchestra while teaching at Colorado College.

He studied viola with Lillian Fuchs at the Manhattan School of Music and during many summers at the Aspen Music Festival. He played in string quartets coached by members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Cleveland and Budapest String Quartets. His favorite moments are post-concert comments from audience-members who often follow a particularly insightful thought with but then, I don't know anything about music!