Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia

Still Waters Sinfo-Nia is a predominately African-American youth orchestra located in Atlanta, Georgia. It was originally called the William Grant Still Memorial Orchestra, but the name was changed. This organization was started in 1990 and has been led by David E. Robinson, III.

Concept/Mission

The Orchestra

The Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia of Metropolitan Atlanta Orchestra and Dance company is designed to give talented students ages 8 to 18 an opportunity to improve their artistic and skills, perform a variety of music (traditional orchestral literature - baroque, classical, etc., jazz, Negro spirituals, gospel, reggae, ragtime, motion picture themes, music from other countries, country, Top-40: rock, R & B, urban contemporary, and so on, perform on a regular basis, prepare students to audition to earn college scholarships, and travel. Sinfo-Nia has traveled coast-to-coast as well as to Ghana, West Africa.

Sinfo-Nia was founded as a summer camp and still holds its annual Summer Academy in July. Young musicians and dancers from other states come to attend as well. Sinfo-Nia members travel to different cities to take part in the annual National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) Conference. They serve as the "core" of NANM's D. Jerlene Harding Memorial/NANM Youth Orchestra. Sinfo-Nia has an active youth branch in NANM named after musicians and educator, Kemper Harreld.

Sinfo-Nia hold its School-Year Session on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings from mid-Augst through May. Sinfo-Nia has a staff of certified music educators and professional musicians. Guest clinicians have worked with Sinfo-Nia on occasion.

Dance Company

The Sinfo-Nia Dance Company was added in 2004 and is directed by Alycia W. Robinson. The Dance Company specializes in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, pointe, African, and Hip-hop. The Dance Company performs to the live music of the Orchestra, which makes Sinfo-Nia a unique performing arts organization of a youth dance company with its own youth orchestra.

Past Travels

Norfolk, VA twice, Chicago, IL, St. Paul, MN, Oakland, CA, Dallas, TX, Newark, NJ, Detroit, MI twice, Philadelphia, PA, Las Vegas, NV twice, Houston, TX, Denver, CO, New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, St. Louis, MO, Fort Pierce, FL, Tuskegee, AL, Birmingham, AL twice, Chattanooga, TN, Raleigh, NC, Winston-Salem, NC, Macon, GA three times, Albany, GA, Fort Valley, GA, LaGrange, GA, Keysville, GA, Sparta, GA, Wrens, GA, and Thomasville, GA. Sinfo-Nia took its second trip to Ghana, West Africa in December 2007 and included stops in the neighboring countries of Togo and Benin.

[http://www.sinfo-nia.com Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia Official Home Page]