AL Music Prof. Jonathan Kolm to Perform as Part of Alex. Symphony Orchestra, March 10 and 12

Jonathan Kolm, an American composer and  professor of music on the Alexandria Campus will perform his own compositions as part of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra! The ASO will present Brandenburg and Blue on Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Under the direction of Conductor James Ross, members of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will present music by Bach and Handel and will host a world premiere of Kolm’s music.

Jonathan Kolm’s music has been performed across the United States and abroad, winning prizes and awards including the American Prize and the Swan Prize in Music Composition. In addition to his work as a composer and pianist, he teaches composition, piano and music theory at NOVA where he serves as an associate professor. His music combines rhythmic intensity, haunting lyricism and rich harmonic colors. In his personal time, he advocates for various environmental and social causes in the nation’s capital.

Kolm’s world premiere of his piece ‘The Ways of Water,’was commissioned by the ASO and sponsored by Virginia American Water. It’s a new piece that reflects on our individual and collective relationship to the water all around us and inside us. Many of his recent works incorporate environmental and scientific themes and have a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) focus.

“The Ways of Water is a musical reflection and meditation on how water affects us individually and collectively,” says Mr. Kolm. “Each of the five movements uses the water theme in different ways to give the listener a chance to reflect on the fact that we are all made of water, how we use it in our daily lives and how it sustains the environments and communities we live in and depend on.”

In promoting this project, Kolm experienced the poignant reminder of the joys of teaching music at NOVA as his path crosses with various people he has worked with through the years. ASO Conductor James Ross and Kolm worked together at Sympatico, an organization that runs after-school music programs in Alexandria. They originally met at John Adams Elementary School years ago. The two recently met with the current director of Sympatico, Cynthia Gossman, who was not just  one of Kolm’s former NOVA students, but also a former music student.

After graduating with her music degree from NOVA, Gossman went on to become a music teacher in Alexandria. In a full-circle moment, Kolm was reunited and delighted to work with his former student now teaching a new generation of students to experience the joy of music and creativity. 

Enjoy the music of Kolm and his upcoming event here.

Submitted by:
Hoang Nguyen, Assoc. Director of External Comms., HDNguyen@nvcc.edu