POWERGRAMS

POWER TO ALABAMA Foundation gives Mobile students first symphony orchestra experience 2 The "Aluminum Overcast" restored B-17 bomber took Robert Scroggins and other veterans on a flight from Montgomery Regional Airport. It is one of only a few of the famous "Flying Fortress" airplanes remaining from World War II. ON THE COVER: Music allows Presley Ready to connect with a "divinity" far above her everyday world. Ready experienced this powerful pull for the first time as a 9-year-old when she attended a Mobile Symphony Orchestra concert with her mother, Patricia. She got the unforgettable opportunity by taking advantage of the Mobile Symphony's Big Red Ticket (BRT) program. "I wasn't particularly interested in the symphony. But the Big Red Ticket really opened my mind to music, and I was captivated," said the 11th-grader, who now plays in the Mobile Youth Symphony Orchestra and dreams of becoming a professional musician. "Music is so powerful. Playing the bassoon kind of allows me to express my feelings." The BRT program provides free tickets to students in grades K-12 for Sunday afternoon classical performances. Each ticket admits two students accompanied by a paying adult. During last year's concert season, 355 Mobile and Baldwin County students attended performances through BRT. The Alabama Power Foundation has been a major sponsor of BRT since it was introduced in 2007. The program grew out of a brainstorming session between Mobile Symphony President and CEO Celia Baehr and Alabama Power's Bernie Fogarty, who is now retired. "We were looking for ways to get more kids exposed to classical music and convince parents to take their kids to the symphony," said Baehr. "If you expose children to music when they are small, they will like it. I've seen some literally become mesmerized by a violin concerto." Barbara McMillian, a band director at Calloway-Smith Middle School, said BRT is a major factor that led her to choose music as her career. She used her first Big Red Ticket six years ago during her senior year in high school. "The Big Red Ticket was one of the main ways I got to attend the symphony during my senior year," McMillian said. "I was the only double bass player in the Mobile Youth Orchestra and at my school. Attending the symphony gave me the opportunity to see professional bass players, and I learned a lot by watching them." McMillian plans to pass on her love of classical music by starting a string quartet at her school. "Going to the symphony helped me become the teacher I am now," she said. Baehr said the foundation's partnership with the symphony has greatly contributed to the continued success of BRT. "The Alabama Power Foundation is easy to work with and has consistently supported us year after year," Baehr said. "Everybody wants to support education, but Alabama Power actually puts money behind those words." "The Alabama Power Foundation is very pleased to partner with the Mobile Symphony to sponsor the Big Red Ticket program," said Mobile Division Vice President Mike Saxon. "This program allows students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a symphony performance at no cost. The program is not only offered to schools in Mobile County but also to schools in the surrounding areas where many students do not have exposure to classical music." Through the BRT program, students can attend six concerts at Mobile's Saenger Theatre each season. For more information, visit the symphony website at www.mobilesymphony.org or call the box office at 251-432-2010. By Carla Davis Susi Manning was inspired to play violin after getting Big Red Ticket. McMillian played in high school before becoming band director at Callaway-Smith Middle School.

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