EarRelevant Staff | 27 AUG 2026
ATLANTA, Georgia— After 25 years of teaching young musicians that chamber music requires as much listening as playing, Franklin Pond Chamber Music is preparing for a leadership transition that will begin a new chapter for the Atlanta-based educational organization.
Ronda Respess, who founded Franklin Pond in 2001, plans to retire from the organization at the beginning of 2027. She will be succeeded by Melissa Klein as executive director and Ginny Fairchild as artistic director, according to a recent announcement to Franklin Pond supporters.
The transition comes as Franklin Pond continues its year-round educational programs for young musicians, including its Fall Into Spring program, Summer Intensive, master classes, chamber music competition and community performances. The organization works primarily with middle- and high-school musicians, combining intensive chamber music study with an emphasis on communication, leadership and collaboration.
That combination has been central to Franklin Pond since its founding. Students work in small ensembles, where musical decisions must be negotiated among the players rather than directed by a conductor. Faculty members drawn from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Opera Orchestra coach the ensembles, while guest artists lead master classes and other programs.
Franklin Pond’s educational activities also extend beyond rehearsal rooms and concert stages. Students have performed in schools, libraries, senior communities and other venues, giving the organization a community-outreach role alongside its work with advanced young musicians.
The program’s reach was evident in its 2026 activities. This summer, Franklin Pond’s students took part in a five-day retreat at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, where they worked intensively on chamber music and spent the week developing their skills as collaborators and performers. In its 2025-26 Fall Into Spring season, Franklin Pond presented master classes with such artists as violinist David Coucheron, cellist Si-yan Li and pianist Inon Barnatan, along with community performances and a Young People’s Concert at Spivey Hall.
The organization also provides students with opportunities to test themselves beyond Atlanta. The Strelitzia Trio, whose members have participated in Franklin Pond programs, competed in the Junior String Division semifinals of the 2026 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, one of the country’s prominent chamber music competitions.
The Strelitzia Trio, from left: Lucas Liu, violin; Melvin Xu, piano; and Ryan Pi, cello. (credit: Chris Helton)
For Respess, the coming change represents the conclusion of a long period of direct leadership but not a departure from the community she created. She retired from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2020 after 51 years with the ensemble and continued to lead Franklin Pond.
In announcing her retirement, Respess described the transition as an opportunity for the organization to move forward rather than simply mark the end of an era.
“This is not simply a change in personnel,” Respess wrote. “It’s time for The Pond to flow into the next 25 years with new blood and new ideas.”
Fairchild has been part of Franklin Pond’s leadership for years and has worked closely with its students and programs. Her move into the artistic director position will maintain continuity in the organization’s educational and musical work, while Klein assumes responsibility for its executive administration.
The change comes at a natural dividing line for an organization whose first quarter-century has been defined by the development of young musicians through chamber music. The challenge for its new leadership will be to preserve the close relationship among students, teachers and families while determining how Franklin Pond should evolve over the next 25 years.
For Respess, however, the central purpose remains straightforward: giving young musicians the opportunity to grow through music and through the experience of making it with others.
“Ultimately, it is up to all of us to keep Franklin Pond the vital organization it has become,” Respess wrote. “We need to encourage young musicians in any way we can. They are the future of music.” ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Franklin Pond Chamber Music: franklinpond.org
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