The entire Music School Family is honored and thrilled that our orchestra will bear the name of a musician of such high caliber, someone who dedicated his entire life to music and music education, and a Manchester native, said Music School CEO Jeanine Tousignant. Dick Anagnost's extraordinary gift to the school to honor his brother's legacy will provide for music education for countless of our community's children now and well into in the future.
Dino Anagnost was music director and conductor of The Little Orchestra Society of New York for 33 years, a mid-size classical ensemble offering a broad repertoire of interactive music experience that captivated audiences of all ages.
His orchestra presented a distinct sound and personality, and and Dino Anagnost's innovative programs transformed audiences'appreciation for music by incorporating multi-dimensional theatrical elements that brought the music to life. Each of the series for children and adults featured celebrities from complementary arts-luminaries from stage and screen: dancers, circus clowns, illusionists, puppets, and even baton twirlers. Under his tenure, The Little Orchestra was best known for original children's concerts, Lolli-Pops, where he assumed the beloved persona Mister Maestro, and Happy Concerts for Young People and adult concert series Vivaldi's Venice, Sound Discoveries, and Cathedral Concerts-Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome, as well as its family holiday production of Amahl and the Night Visitors in collaboration with composer Gian Carlo Menotti.
Committed to the music education of children, he introduced more than 1 million children to the joys of classical music.
Anagnost was born August 16, 1943, in Manchester, the eldest son of Stella and Zissis Anagnost. He was educated at Boston University, The Juilliard School, Harvard University, Tanglewood, and New England Conservatory, where he pursued advanced music studies, Teachers College and Columbia University, where he earned his doctorate in music. The January concert is open to the public and admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per person. The entire Winter Concert begins at 1 p.m., and the symphony orchestra portion of the event begins at 3 pm. For more information, visit www.mcmusicschool.org.
Current Issue - April 2024