Dance and Dine at the VSO 35th Annual Symphony Ball

Burlington, Vermont — The Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Champlain Valley Friends of the VSO will host the annual winter gala, Symphony Ball.  This year’s honorary co-chairs are Mayor and Mrs. Miro Weinberger and UVM President and Mrs. Tom Sullivan. The event will be held on Saturday, February 2 in the Grand Maple Ballroom of the Dudley Davis Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington .  For the 35th year, the VSO invites Vermonters to step into their dancing shoes, twirl the floor to waltzes and swing to the 18-piece Vermont Jazz Ensemble.  All proceeds from the event, Vermont ’s premiere black tie tradition, will benefit VSO educational and musical programs throughout the state.

     The Symphony Ball brings the special opportunity to dine with friends and dance to the live music of the VSO under the direction of principal guest conductor Anthony Princiotti.  Guests will also be able to swing to the music of the 18-piece Vermont Jazz Ensemble.  The annual gala includes a cocktail reception (cash bar) and silent auction beginning at 6:00 p.m., with an elegant dinner and complimentary wine following.  Dancing begins at 7:00 p.m. and continues until 12:30 a.m.

     Symphony Ball attendees are invited to bid on a few fabulous items in a silent auction.  One lucky bidder

Celebrate the Holidays with the VSO

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will present of three Holiday Pops and five Brass Quintet and Counterpoint concerts in December, bringing tidings of joy to communities around the state.

    The VSO Chorus joins the Orchestra to ring in the season, with Robert De Cormier and Dawn Willis conducting.  The program includes a Swedish carol, selections from Messiah, pieces that highlight brass and percussion, a lighthearted new work by a teenage composer, two sleigh rides, a sing-along, wonderful De Cormier arrangements, and a salute to Woody Guthrie.

     The teenage composer, Jacob Morton-Black, is a senior at Colchester High School and takes music courses at the University of Vermont .  He has won numerous awards for his compositions.  In addition to composing, he plays the French horn, and performs with the Vermont Youth Orchestra, the University of Vermont Orchestra and the University of Vermont Wind Ensemble .  Morton-Black is also a member of the VYO Brass Quartet and co-founded the Colchester Community Concert Band.  The VSO will premiere his composition “Danse Slav et Valse.”

    Holiday Pops performances are Friday, December 7, 7:30 pm at the Barre Opera House; Saturday, December 8, 7:30 pm at the Flynn Center in Burlington ;  and Sunday, December 9, 3:00 pm at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland (the first of the three-concert Sunday Matinee Series.)

      The VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint concerts combine brilliant brass and shining voices in intimate village settings.  Counterpoint’s new director, Nathaniel G. Lew, has collaborated with the VSO Brass Quintet to choose a festive program that ranges from the medieval to the modern and includes Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival, the Canadian Brass’s bravura arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas, Bizet’s March of the Kings, and—of course—some traditional carols.

    VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint performances are Thursday, December 13, 7:30 pm, Warren United Church, Warren;  Friday, December 14, 7:30 pm, Foeger Ballroom at Jay Peak Resort, Jay;  Saturday, December 15, 5:00 pm, The White Church, Grafton;  Sunday, December 16, 4:00 pm, First Congregational Church, Manchester;  and Monday, December 17, 7:00 pm, Congregational Church, Brandon.

     Again this year, holiday audiences may also enjoy VSO music at home, on CD.  The
“Christmas in Vermont ,” CD featuring the VSO Brass Quintet and Counterpoint, presents  a captivating blend of rarely heard gems and seasonal favorites.    The VSO’s first commercial orchestral CD, “Triple Doubles,” featuring three double concertos written for violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, is also available.  Both recordings will be sold at these concerts, through the VSO office, and on the VSO website.

     Join the VSO for festive celebrations you’ll remember throughout the holiday season. For tickets or additional information, please call (800) VSO-9293, ext. 10, or visit www.vso.org.

VSO Concert Features Classics by Hindemith, Prokofiev and Dvořák

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s second concert in its 2012/2013 Masterworks series will feature three sparkling works by beloved classical composers.  The program includes Konzertmusik for Strings and Brass by Paul Hindemith, Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Sergei Prokofiev, and the radiant Symphony No. 6 by Antonín Dvořák.  VSO Principal Guest Conductor, Anthony Princiotti will lead the concert at the Flynn Center on Saturday, December 1 at 8 p.m.

     The woodwinds sit out the first number, an exuberant flood of music in which Hindemith makes virtuosic demands on the brass section, but they have starring roles in Prokofiev’s wonderfully satirical narrative about a fictional soldier.  This orchestral showcase program concludes with a compelling work rich with superb melodies.  Many feel Dvořák’s Sixth is superior to his New World Symphony—but suffers from the lack of a catchy nickname.

VSO Masterworks Series Opens with Famed Kalichstein-Laredo Robinson Trio

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra 2012/2013 Masterworks Series opens with the acclaimed Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano.  This exciting program also features Concerto Grosso No.1 (for strings and piano obligatto, performed by Joseph Kalichstein) by Ernst Bloch and Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella, with music director Jaime Laredo conducting.  The concert, the first of five Masterworks Series concerts this year, will be held at the Flynn Center in Burlington on Saturday, October 27 at 8 p.m.

     The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio is known as America ’s premier trio.  After thirty-six years of success all over the world, including many award-winning recordings and newly commissioned works, the trio continues to dazzle audiences and critics alike with its performances.  Since making their debut at the White House for President Carter's Inauguration in January 1977, pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson have set the standard for performance of the piano trio literature.  As one of the only long-lived ensembles with all of its original members, the trio balances the careers of three internationally-acclaimed soloists while making annual appearances at many of the world's major concert halls, commissioning spectacular new works, and maintaining an active recording agenda.  “Among the superstars of the chamber music world,” notes The Washington Post, “few induce as much open-mouthed rapture as the Kalishstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio.”

     Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson live in Guilford , Vermont , and both serve on the esteemed instrumental and chamber music faculty at The Cleveland Institute of Music.  Joseph Kalichstein is a long-revered teacher at the Juilliard School of Music.

     A pre-concert discussion, “Musically Speaking,” moderated by Vermont Public Radio host Joe Goetz will be held at 7 p.m., free for members of the audience.  The discussion will feature Joseph Kalichstein, Sharon Robinson and Jaime Laredo, providing entertaining insight into the music, composers and musicians themselves.

     Concerts by the VSO are made possible in part by the State of Vermont and
individuals, businesses and foundations throughout Vermont .  Vermont Public Radio is
the co-sponsor for the 2012/2013 season.  WCVT-FM is the 2012/2013 Masterworks series media sponsor.  Additional support is provided by the Concert Artists Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Lintilhac Foundation.  The October concert is also made possible in part by Windstream and Bravo Society members Ed and Nancy Colodny.

     Single tickets for the October concert start at $16.  Student tickets are available for $9.  For additional information or tickets, please visit the FlynnTix Regional Box Office website at www.flyntix.org, telephone (802) 86-FLYNN (863-5966), or visit the VSO website at www.vso.org.  Subscriptions for the five-concert Masterworks series range from $68 to $261, $45 for students.  For series subscriptions, please call the VSO office at 800-864-9293, extension 10.

VSO Made in Vermont Music Festival To Tour the State

Vermont - The Vermont Symphony Orchestra goes on tour again this fall, presenting the annual Made in Vermont Music Festival in eight villages and towns across Vermont. From September 21 to October 1, the 18th annual VSO tour will offer brilliant music to go along with Vermont’s brilliant foliage season.   The program includes a sparkling work by Haydn’s younger brother, Michael; a world premiere by University of Vermont composer David Feurzeig; a darkly appealing piece for string orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich; and Schubert’s richly melodic Symphony No. 5 with Anthony Princiotti conducting.

     In keeping with the VSO tradition of commissioning a new piece every year, the program features a new work by David Feurzeig of Williston.   His piece, High Water, is a three part impression of Hurricane Irene.  It begins with “Rain,” with gentle falling figures representing the storm’s deceptively mild onset, soon overpowered by the inexorable rise and destruction of Vermont’s rivers.  The central section, “Silt,” the emotional heart of the piece, begins with brooding string chords suggesting the feeling of paralysis as people struggled to dig out.  A haunting refrain from “Goodnight Irene” links to the final section, “Grit,” and celebrates the communal resolve of Vermonters following Irene’s devastation.

     David Feurzeig joined the faculty of UVM in 2008.  His music has been performed throughout the United States and in New Zealand, Asia, and Europe.  He is a pianist as well as composer, and specializes in eclectic lecture-recitals featuring music from the classics to stride piano, jazz and new music.  He received a DMA in Composition from Cornell University and a BA from Harvard College.

     The tour includes the following locations:  

Friday, September 21, 7:30 p.m., Dibden Center, Johnson State College, Johnson  
Saturday, September 22, 7:30 p.m., Vergennes Opera House, Vergennes
Sunday, September 23, 4:00 p.m., Haskell Opera House, Derby Line
Thursday, September 27, 7:30 p.m., Alexander Twilight Theater, Lyndon State College
Friday, September 28, 7:30 p.m., Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Falls
    (Co-presented with Bellows Falls Opera House)
Saturday, September 29, 7:30 p.m., Chandler Music Hall, Randolph
     (Co-presented with the Chandler Music Hall)
Sunday, September 30, 3:00 p.m., BFA Center for Performing Arts, St. Albans
    (Presented by The Saint Albans Society for the Performing Arts)
Monday, October 1, 7:00 p.m., Castleton State College Fine Arts Center, Castleton

     The statewide Made in Vermont Music Festival tour is co-sponsored by Merchants Bank and Vermont State Colleges.  Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Arts Council, and the Lintilhac Foundation.

     Tickets will be available in late August.  They will cost $26 for adults, $22 for seniors age 65 and older, $13 for Vermont State College faculty and staff, $13 for students, and $6 for Vermont State College students.  For additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Flynn Regional Box Office at 802-863-5966 or visit online at www.flynntix.org.  Tickets will also be available at local outlets.  For details, please visit the VSO website at www.vso.org or call 800-876-9293, ext. 10.