For Immediate Release
July 19, 2024
Dr. Alvoy L. Bryan Jr. will join the Atlanta University Center Consortium, leading an orchestra of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College students.
Atlanta – Dr. Alvoy L. Bryan Jr. has been chosen to lead the Atlanta University Center Orchestra and began the position in mid–July. The Atlanta University Center Consortium welcomes the Decatur native and orchestral professional with experience teaching all levels, including lower and higher education. Bryan’s uniqueness to the position includes a plethora of experience not only performing with orchestras in Atlanta and around the country, but as an instructor. He is a violist, violinist, and conductor with over 19 years of conducting experience and over 22 years of experience as a professional orchestral and chamber musician.
Bryan has an extensive background in higher education, having served on the faculties at Allen University (Associate Professor and Chair of Music Department), Benedict College (Music Department Coordinator), South Carolina State University, Claflin University, Presbyterian College, and Webster University. His formal music education includes a B.M. in music performance from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), a M.M. in music performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a D.M.A. in music performance from the University of South Carolina.
The Atlanta University Center Orchestra was formed in 1997 out of the desire of many students on campuses across the Atlanta University Center consortium to have an orchestral playing experience.
“This is like a homecoming for me. My goal is to build this organization to one of the top orchestras in the nation recruiting the top string players in Georgia and building a reputation where students from all over the country come for professional music development, “Bryan said.
The AUC Orchestra is a vital part of Atlanta University Center’s music tapestry as music majors are required to be a part of a large instrument ensemble and for students who play string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello and double bass, this is their sole musical outlet.
When the idea of an AUC Orchestra was proposed in 1997, founders stated, “The need for qualified string players and teachers in the African American community has become critical. There are limited resources of manpower and professional skill to secure the critically needed services of string players in the African American churches, colleges, and universities, and on the professional performance stage.”
Twenty-seven years later Bryan comes to the AUCC with this same goal in mind. He shared that less than three percent of musicians in professional orchestras are Black. “What better way to do that than to work with three of the best HBCUs in the nation,” Bryan said to increase those numbers. Alongside this Bryan also hopes to bring the experience of a music repertoire needed for students looking to pursue a professional orchestral career.
“This is my life journey; I want to create the next generation of orchestral members and teachers. I want to showcase and introduce students to Black composers like William Grant Still, Duke Ellington, Florence Beatrice Price, Dr. George Theophilus Walker and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to name a few,” Bryan said. He feels the Atlanta University Center is unique and has no doubt on its ability to attract and retain talent. He is confident Atlanta will embrace the AUC orchestra as well as the Black community.
New Perspective
One of the many new perspectives Bryan will execute in his role will be helping students personify the many roles in an orchestra. These roles include executive director, personnel manager, librarian who catalogs the music work with publishers and more. He wants students to be ready for the perspective of being Black in this genre as a professional who chooses to perform or become an instructor. He plans to emphasize helping students see past getting a seat at the table and forming their own.
Of his many experiences, he brings the perspective of knowing the music culture of Atlanta, having played in youth orchestras such as the Dekalb Youth Pop Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, sharing his work as a youth musician culminated playing in in the closing ceremony of 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Quite the accomplishment for someone playing since the age of 10.
“I am to give them a very black perspective on how to teach and give them the blueprint to perform in this field. The advantage I have is my professional training and perspective. I’m able to simulate the professional world to prepare them if they want to play in the city of Atlanta or to graduate as a performer, conductor, or educator. The most important lesson I can bring is discipline and mastering the basics.”
“You have to be excellent,” Bryan said as he described student musicians entering the field. In addition to this he also embraces being intentional, with recruiting, with training and with helping students strive in the field. Bryan hopes to create an orchestra scholarship fund for all three colleges and to partner with the Atlanta Music Project who targets minorities, as a recruitment tool for incoming music majors to the AUC schools.
AUC students do not need to be music majors or minors to participate in the AUC Orchestra. It is open by audition to all students in the Atlanta University Center. For more information on the AUC Orchestra and Fall auditions please visit: https://aucsorchestra.org/
