Project Symphony announces debut

Ari Picker, the brains behind Lost In The Trees, is a man of many talents. Beyond his orchestral pop troupe, he's a classical composer and the founder of Project Symphony, an organization dedicated to providing a means of encouraging orchestral music and community development in Chapel Hill.

Picker writes in a press release: "A year ago I started Project Symphony, a non profit organization which has a two part mission: the first part is to expand the local classical music scene by commissioning young artists to write original music for concert orchestra and to have their pieces performed, and the second part is to use the money raised from ticket sales to these performances to give donations to local charitable causes, may it be environmental, social, or artistic."

Nov. 1 will mark Project Symphony's debut showcase as Picker unveils his Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. He'll also perform with Lost In The Trees as a supporting act, and Megafaun's Phil Cook will give a solo performance.

Tickets are already on sale and are priced in three tiers, at $30, $20 and $10, depending on seating at UNC-Chapel Hill's Hill Hall Auditorium. Proceeds from ticket sales are split 50-50 between funding the next Project Symphony performance and a donation to Chatham County Together, a mentoring organization.