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Carlo Ponti Jr. Opens Hearts & Minds to Beethoven and Beyond

Conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. is changing the face of classical music. Literally, he’s young and open minded as evidenced by not only his debut album which was released earlier this month, but some recent performances that include music from Beethoven to Stevie Wonder.

“The idea that classical music is not accessible is gone, especially in the United States,” Ponti Jr. told In Tune. To be successful nowadays, “you have to be willing to work with young people, come out of your shell and get into the community.”

While you might not recognize his name, mention the name Ponti to your parents and it will conjure up Hollywood’s royalty. Ponti’s parents are the very much admired Italian actress, Sophia Loren and her late husband, film producer Carlo Ponti. Ponti Jr. credits his parents for his musical passion. “My father had an instinct for recognizing people’s innate talents and encouraged me to follow my dreams and become a conductor.”

Ponti Jr. was appointed Associated Conductor of the Moscow-based Russian National Orchestra in 2000 and since 2001 has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the San Bernadino Symphony in California where he now lives.
Ponti Jr. regularly holds master classes in orchestral conducting for students of all ages and has been invited to work and perform with leading Youth Orchestras such as the American Youth Symphony, the UCLA Philharmonic and the Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra in the United States.

Classical music teaches students to be dedicated and to focus, which are the skills that are useful throughout life, Ponti Jr. says. “With music you can learn to express yourself through a specific artistic medium. Music is dynamic and moves through time. Music teaches you to listen to one another. It’s all mirrored in the social world.”

In San Bernardino, Ponti Jr. invites local school orchestras to perform as a part of the program. “With children, if you have fun doing teaching, they will have fun too. You play a complicated piece, which they don’t understand, if you show dedication and love of that piece, it will trickle down on them, and they will like it too.”

For more information about Ponti Jr. and his debut album Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on the Bare Mountain, go to his website at carloponti.com.

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Carlo Ponti Jr. Opens Hearts & Minds to Beethoven and Beyond