To Sir, With Love

Musician Sir Foster revs up Atlanta Hawks’ fans

By Grace Huseth

Philips Arena during Atlanta Hawks basketball games can be sensory overload. In addition to the actual game, there are the cheerleaders, Harry the Hawk and Sky Squad performers and even Chick-fil-A cows parachuting from the rafters. There’s a lot to see, but it’s longtime organist Sir Foster who provides the soundtrack for the Hawks.

“Music sets the tone and gives the room a certain amount of energy,” Sir Foster said. “When a big play happens, music extenuates, or maybe even punctuates a play and can really get the crowd going. And when the crowd is going wild, it creates the home court advantage we need for the Hawks.”

Without this soundtrack, the basketball viewing experience wouldn’t be the same. With a watchful eye, Sir Foster provides a musical commentary for epic dunks and missed baskets. Suspense builds with a beat like a thumping heart. A little run or refrain can narrate a tragic play or celebrate a score.

Sir Foster doesn’t plan ahead of time what he will play and instead relies on the feeling in Philips Arena to keep the stands grooving. He tries to play 12 to 16 songs a game, even accepting requests via Twitter, and each song is selected by the mood. “Playing during the game is like scoring a Broadway play and I’m the one man orchestra,” he said.

Growing up in Fort Valley, Georgia, Foster Carson started taking piano lessons when he was in first grade. He participated in every band in high school, from concert to marching, and then played in church. He played gigs in clubs and for weddings until the fateful day in 2009 he stumbled across a posting on Craigslist. The Hawks threw their search for an organist into the vast network of classified ads. Sir Foster auditioned without hesitation.

“I definitely had my own flair and style, even from the beginning,” Sir Foster said of first impressing the Atlanta Hawks. “My philosophy is to play what I would want to hear if I was in the audience. They saw that I was capable of playing what was hot, because I liked it, at the right moment in the game. That’s what made them take notice of me.”

Sir Foster is known for having a sixth sense about emerging music and has an ear for what will be popular. “When I first started playing for the Hawks, I used to try to wait until I felt like people knew what the song was before I started playing it. Now I’m to the point where as soon as a song catches my ear, I go ahead and start playing it because I know that music moves so much faster nowadays. Eventually people are going to catch on.”

Early last year, Sir Foster got a new keyboard. The custom Hawks branded, 190-degree curved keyboard was designed by Brocket Parsons, Lady Gaga’s keyboardist, exclusively for Sir Foster. The PianoArc Hawks keyboard consists of 144 keys, quite the jump from the 88 keys on a typical piano keyboard.

Since music comes so naturally to Sir Foster, he tries to learn a song before every game to get his musical muscles moving. The ritual gives him a sense of accomplishment prior to the game and prepares him to attack the performance.

“I want to put myself in a place where I already have an edge. When you learn something new, you have forced yourself to use a part of your brain that is kinda uncomfortable and you have made it comfortable. That puts you in an aggressive, gogetter mind frame.”

NBA entertaining has opened up many opportunities for the organist, such as playing in many All-Star games. He even got to play in Paris for the Ligue Nationale de Basket All-Star game last year. However, the only time you can hear him tickle the PianoArc is at Atlanta Hawks home games.

At the games Sir Foster is not afraid to throw in futuristic styles or poppy Ed Sheeran, but leans towards hip hop. “I want the arena to feel like Atlanta, and a lot of music that comes out of Atlanta is hip hop. I do that on purpose to give it a hometown feel.”

For more information, visit sirfoster.net.

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Callanwolde completes restoration projects

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The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center recently celebrated a historic milestone: the renovation of three historic buildings on the campus following a successful $2.1 million fundraising campaign.

The Ruby Callaway Robinson Greenhouse, designed by the architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent and built by Macallan Construction and Texas Greenhouse Company, will be used for Callanwolde’s School of Horticulture and Culinary Arts classes and workshops. The greenhouse has been named in honor of GreenHouse Foundation Co-Founders CeeLo Green and Shedonna Alexander’s grandmother, Ruby Callaway Robinson, and will serve as the new home for the GreenHouse Foundation’s School Partnership Training Program. The partnership training program will be an avenue to train teachers and families in the community to live a more sustainable life within their own homes. The facility will also be used as a training area for the Captain Planet Foundation.

The adjoining gardener’s cottage was originally the home of the Candler family’s live-in gardener. Today, it serves as the Rick Baker School of Music and Music Recording’s space consisting of three private lesson rooms and a computer lab. Macallan Construction made substantial repairs to the building’s interior; finishing was done by Macallan Construction and The Carpet Lady.

The third and final building to be restored is a barn, original to the estate, which was in disuse for decades. Thanks to restoration efforts by Gay Construction and Baldwin and Clark, the barn has been transformed to house a state of the art recording studio, utilized by Phil Tan (three time Grammy Award winning music engineer and Callanwolde’s Director of Music Recording) as well as the Rick Baker School of Music and Music Recording program. The restoration efforts of this building, designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, won a preservation award by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

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For the first time in the history of Callanwolde, the entire estate (seven buildings, an amphitheater, formal and memorial gardens, and a nature trail) will be used for programming and events.

Following the restoration work, Callanwolde’s executive director, Peggy Still Johnson, announced she would step down from the position after five years on the job and successfully leading the capital campaign. A search for the new executive director is underway. Johnson will remain in her role during the transition, which is expected to occur early next year.

For more about Callanwolde, visit callanwolde.org.

Your family’s most comprehensive online guide to arts and cultural entertainment Visit AtlantaPlanIt.org for more upcoming events.

Visual Arts

Christmas at Callanwolde: During this holiday celebration visitors enjoy the entire 27,000-square-foot Candler Mansion decorated by professional interior and floral designers. Closes Dec. 12. $20 to $25. callanwolde.org timeless classic. Dec. 1 through 23. $23 to $39. shakespearetavern.com

From Opera To Opry: Join The Atlanta Opera for its an annual holiday concert that brings together two completely different ways of singing in a hilarious and highly entertaining show at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Dec. 5. $35. atlantaopera.org

The Roots: Since they gained a nightly nationwide audience through a close partnership with television host Jimmy Fallon, The Roots continue to challenge listeners with works free of genre restrictions. Dec. 29. $52.50 to $75. cocacolaroxy.com

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Rudolph soars back into town for this faithful adaptation of the wonderful holiday tradition that speaks to the misfit in all of us. Through Dec. 31. $11.25 to $19.50. puppet.org

The Collectors Eye – Masters of 20th Century Photography: This exhibition at Lumiere Gallery features iconic images from the lenses of some 20 masters of 20th century photography. Closes Dec. 16. Free. lumieregallery.net

HISPANIOLA: A Celebration of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with Selections from the Dion Kohler Collection: Part of a campus-wide celebration of culture of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, this exhibit features first and second generation Haitian Masters who painted in the 1960s through ‘80s. Closes Dec. 17. Free to $5. museum. oglethorpe.edu.

Dark Povera Part 1: Using computer aided design (CAD) files and a 3-D scanner, Matthew Angelo Harrison makes digital copies of traditional African masks and sculptures in this exhibit. Closes Dec. 17. Free. atlantacontemporary.org

Little Things: Swan Coach House’s exhibit includes hundreds of small, collectible works by a wide range of emerging and established artists on sale for the holidays. Closes Dec. 30. Free. gallery. swancoachhouse.com

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights: Atlanta Botanical Garden’s “holiday light show features a spectacular new high-tech display and all new cool-colored lights. Daily. $14.95 to $39.95. atlantabg.org

A Fire That No Water Could Put Out: Civil Rights Photography: Taking its title from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech, these photographs reflect on the 50th anniversary of his assassination. Tuesday through Sunday. Free to $14.50. high.org

Black: Towards An Afro-Cosmological Understanding: Hammond House Museum presents an exhibit by Pellom McDaniels III that explores the complexities of identity for people of African descent throughout American history. Wednesday through Sunday. $3 to $5. hammondshouse.org

Guo Pei: Couture Beyond: This landmark exhibition presents more than 30 of Guo Pei’s grandest, most dramatic gowns from the past decade. Tuesday through Sunday. Free to $10. scadfash.org

Small Works Show: Anne Irwin Fine Art’s annual show features small works of art perfect for gifts or salon-style collages. Monday through Saturday. Free. anneirwinfineart.com

The Atlanta Gallery Collective: Ponce City Market hosts The Atlanta Gallery Collective, a pop-up gallery and cultural destination that showcases works from 10 of the city’s top art galleries. Daily. Free. poncecitymarket.com

Winter Wonderland: Prepare to “ooh” and “aah” over two floors of twinkling, beautifully decorated trees showcasing celebrations around the world. Daily. Free to $18. fernbankmuseum.org

Performing Arts

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A holiday tradition at The Shakespeare Tavern, this is a special adaptation of a

Heidi: Heidi brings joy to everyone she meets in this play, from her small Alpine village, to the bustling city of Frankfurt, Germany and back home to her beloved Alps. Dec. 8 through 31. $16 to $33. synchrotheatre.com

Ballethnic Dance Company’s Urban Nutcracker: This holiday show at the Morehouse King Chapel takes place on Atlanta’s own Sweet Auburn Avenue in the 1940s. Dec. 9 and 10. $30 to $40. ballethnic.org

The Snow Queen: This is a Serenbe Playhouse holiday tradition in the woods derived from the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale that inspired “Frozen.” Through Dec. 30. $15 to $23. Serenbeplayhouse. com

Handel’s Messiah: This masterpiece from Handel tells the Christmas story like no other, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has brought it back this year for a very special performance featuring the Orchestra and the Chamber Chorus. Dec. 15. $20 to $60. atlantasymphony.org

Janet Jackson: One of the biggest pop stars of the ‘80s, Janet Jackson brings her national tour to Philips Arena this December. Dec. 17. $38 to $500. philipsarena.com

The Snow Queen: This is a Serenbe Playhouse holiday tradition in the woods derived from the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale that inspired “Frozen.” Through Dec. 30. $15 to $23. Serenbeplayhouse.com

The Santaland Diaries: Horizon Theatre’s outrageous holiday comedy by comic genius David Sedaris stars Crumpet, a rebel without a “Clause” who recounts the true-life tale of an out-of-work writer’s stint as a Macy’s Department Store elf. Through Dec. 31. $25 to $40. horizontheatre.com

Dance Hall Decatur: Come out and dance at the DeKalb History Center as a professional DJ plays hits from the 1970s to the present. Dec. 31. $15 to $50. dekalbhistory.org