We met John when he played – in of all places Ocean City,NJ with Arlo. He’s very nice. Sometime later, I realized that his first violin (at the time) was the son of my very best friend when I was growing up (between like 6 and 14), who was also a classic violinist. We saw him again at the Kimmel Center in PA (A very weird venue) and at Carnegie. Nice article...


Symphony Orchestra Lands Recording Contract

Media Contact: Whitney Hale Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 7, 2007) − The University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra under the direction of John Nardolillo has landed a recording contract on the strength of UK's talented student musicians, recent CD recordings and Nardolillo's leadership. UK has become one of only a few college orchestras in the nation, even the world, to have been signed to a recording contract with Naxos, the world's largest classical label. Music for UK's first recording for the classical label will be presented at the UK Symphony Orchestra's concert scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in the Singletary Center for the Arts - Concert Hall.

February's concert by the UK Symphony Orchestra features music from Concerto Competition winners at UK, as well as composer George Frederick McKay's "Epoch." The UK Concerto Competition winners will perform a horn concerto by Strauss and a saxophone concerto by Tomasi. "Epoch," McKay's ballet score, will also be featured at the concert. A performance by the orchestra of this piece will be recorded as part of Naxos' American Masters Series.

The recording contract was offered to UK Symphony Orchestra upon suggestion of McKay's son Fred, a fan of Nardolillo, and the strength of the group's work on its "Music of the Horse" CD, recorded last year for Keeneland. UK Symphony Orchestra will also be part of a spring CD release, as legendary folk singer Arlo Guthrie releases his CD recordings with the group from his concert at UK last spring.

Nardolillo has made conducting appearances throughout the U.S. and Europe, leading major American orchestras in concerts, tours, and television and radio broadcasts. He has conducted major symphonies in such locales as San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Detroit, and Dallas. Nardolillo has also conducted at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Philadelphia‘s Kimmel Center, and is the founder and music director of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. He earned a bachelor’s degree in violin from the Cleveland Institute of Music and master’s degrees in both violin and conducting from the Peabody Conservatory.

Tickets for the UK Symphony Orchestra concert are $10 for general admission and $5 for students. To purchase tickets, contact the Singletary Center ticket office at (859) 257-4929 or visit online.