By Howard Pousner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has a new concertmaster, and he's all of 25 years old.

The AJC learned late Monday afternoon that the ASO will announce on Tuesday the appointment of David Coucheron, a native of Olso, Norway, to the prestigious musician-leader role.

Coucheron began playing violin at age 3 and pursued undergraduate studies at the Curtis Institute of Music before receiving master's degrees from the Julliard School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the BBC Symphony, the Bergen Philharmonic, the Sendai Symphony, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Trondheim Symphony.

ASO music director Robert Spano, among conductors with whom Coucheron has worked, said the violinist "impressed us all through this long and detailed search process. It's very exciting to have such a vital and dynamic talent join us."

Coucheron will join the ASO in the fall, to start the ASO's 2010-'11 season.. He succeeds Cecylia Arzewski, who finished her tenure with the orchestra at the end of the 2007-'08 season.

"Although it is early in my career, I recognize the responsibilities that come with this position," Coucheron said in a prepared statement. "I am thrilled to be here, and I look forward to heightening the musicianship of this great orchestra so that we continue to offer the very best musical experience for our audience."

The concertmaster occupies the first violin chair and is a link between the conductor and musicians. He sets a style of playing for the strings that guides the entire orchestra. The first violinist is responsible for playing any solo passage within an orchestral composition and is expected to lead by setting a standard of excellence in his playing.