Robert Spano (born 1960 or 1961 in Conneaut, Ohio) is the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as the previous Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic from 1996 to 2004. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and the Curtis Institute of Music, His ASO recordings include the 2003 triple-Grammy winning A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the 2005 Grammy-winning Grande Messe des Mortes by Berlioz. An advocate of contemporary music, he has championed composers such as Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, and Christopher Theofanidis, and with the ASO has made significant premiere recordings of their works. Spano has dubbed this group, together with Michael Gandolfi whose music he is featuring in the 2006-2007 season, the "Atlanta School," characterized as mid-career composers who share an interest in tonality, melody, and popular idioms or "world" music. In recent years his operatic repertoire has ranged from Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle, which he conducted at the Seattle Opera in 2005, to the U.S. premiere of Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de loin for the Santa Fe Opera. In addition to his widespread symphonic and operatic conducting, he remains active as a pianist, particularly in chamber music. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Conneaut may refer to a few places in the United States; all derive their name from the Conneaut Creek, which flows through northeast Pennsylvania and northwest Ohio and means place of many fish in the language of the Seneca tribe of Native Americans. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Categories: Stub | Ohio culture | Lorain County, Ohio ... The Curtis Institute of Music is a music school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... A Sea Symphony is a choral symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams, written between 1903 and 1909. ... Ralph Vaughan Williams, OM (October 12, 1872 – August 26, 1958) was an influential British composer. ... Hector Berlioz (11 December, 1803 - 8 March, 1869) wrote his Requiem Op. ... Portrait of Berlioz by Signol, 1832 Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 – March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie Fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Requiem of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs. ... Osvaldo Golijov (born in La Plata, Argentina, December 5, 1960) is a composer of classical music . ... Jennifer Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of classical music and flutist. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... The Ring of the Nibelung or, in the original German, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is a series of four epic operas. ... The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. ... Kaija Saariaho (born October 14, 1952) is a Finnish composer. ... The Santa Fe Opera is an opera company in Santa Fe, New Mexico. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ...

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