Atlanta's LGBT business and professional network
March Newsletter
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Board Members Steve
Koval, President
Newsletter
Editor Webmaster
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On Thursday, March 21, 2002, AEN is proud to have as its speaker, the new Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano. Mr. Spano is recognized internationally as one of America's outstanding conductors, acclaimed for leading vital, musically distinguished performances as well as for the breadth of repertoire he explores and his consistently imaginative programming. He has conducted nearly every major North American orchestra, and has also appeared with orchestras and opera companies throughout Europe and Asia, notably the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala (Milan), Ensemble Intercontemporain (Paris), and the Royal Opera at Covent Garden (London). As Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra since 1996, he has brought the orchestra to serious international attention. This season, besides his Atlanta and Brooklyn concerts, Mr. Spano will conduct the Boston Symphony, Houston Symphony, Tapiola Sinfonietta in Finland, and orchestra of the Curtis Institute. He will also conduct Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Houston Grand Opera. In addition to his demanding performance schedule, Mr. Spano remains strongly committed to music education. In 1998 he became director of the prestigious conducting fellowship program at the Tanglewood Music Center. He has taught at Bowling Green University and is Professor of Conducting at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. An accomplished pianist, he performs chamber music with many of his colleagues from the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and Oberlin Conservatory. Born in Conneaut, Ohio, and raised in Elkhart, Indiana, Mr. Spano grew up in a musical family, composing and playing flute, violin, and piano. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied conducting, and continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. He has been featured on the PBS series City Arts, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts, CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, and CBS Sunday Morning. He makes his home in Atlanta, and promises to give a unique insight into the world of music, especially in Atlanta.
At AEN’s February meeting, the group was pleased to present the second consecutive director of the White House office of National AIDS Policy, Scott Evertz. Mr. Evertz, who has served the Bush Administration in this capacity since April 2001, is a leading source in the administration for domestic and international HIV/AIDS issues. Former Atlanta resident, Sandy Thurman, Evertz’s predecessor, previously spoke to AEN. As Evertz explained, over the past thirty years of the epidemic, the face of AIDS has changed, and he mentioned an example of grandparents caring for children orphaned by the disease. He described those who live with HIV/AIDS and those who fight the disease as "true heroes" who "empower" him to work harder towards a cure. Evertz and his office work with the President’s Cabinet Task Force on HIV/AIDS, which is co-chaired by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. The Task Force considers the AIDS epidemic to be a “national security issue” and is working to coordinate U.S. government programs related to the disease. In addition to discussing AIDS policy and taking questions from the audience, he touted the Bush Administration’s progress on a number of fronts, including an appropriations bill for the District of Columbia that includes domestic partnership benefits, and was signed by President Bush; maintaining the non-discrimination policy for federal employees that includes orientation; and a prediction that more gay and lesbian appointees were "in the works" from President Bush. He promised to take the questions and concerns that he heard from the AEN audience back to the White House for discussion. Prior to his presentation, Evertz attended a private reception with local influentials in the HIV/AIDS communities and organized by AEN. He was scheduled to meet the following day at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on HIV/AIDS prevention.
The third event in AEN's Building Bridges Initiative was a resounding success. Fifty-four people attended the March 3 screening of "For Straights Only" co-sponsored by Trikone, the organization for South Asian lesbians and gays. Vismita Gupta-Smith, the producer of this 22-minute documentary about South Asian lesbians and gays, was on hand to discuss the film along with several members of Trikone. Her gay brother Navarun Gupta, who inspired the film, was also present. Both Vismita and Navarun led a very interesting discussion about South Asian culture and its impact on coming out. Look for future diversity committee events in the upcoming weeks.
Earlier this year, a group of friends formed Atlanta Guys Cycling and registered for the European AIDS Vaccine Ride that will benefit several top research facilities in the U.S., including the Emory Vaccine Research Center. The group has grown to include 18 people who are now actively training and fundraising. Prior to the start of the event, each person must raise $5,000. This does not include airfare, bike transportation or accommodations before or after the event. The ride is a 7-day journey that winds 575 miles from Amsterdam to Paris. There will be up to 2,000 people participating and cycling an average of 80 miles a day to symbolize the daily struggle of people living with AIDS. Many of the team members began their training by buying their first road bike and are now steadily preparing themselves physically and mentally for this challenge. Atlanta Guys Cycling needs your help to raise the team's minimum $90,000. They ask you to add your generous support to this endeavor. For those who attended the February meeting, you may remember that Atlanta Guys Cycling manned a booth and provided an update to the AEN membership on their efforts. Atlanta Guys Cycling envisions a world that is free from the suffering caused by AIDS.
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