Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Williamsburg Classics Concert Series

Latin Flair • 11/17

Subscriptions Available Now! Tickets on sale this summer!

Saturday, November 17, 2018 | 8PM | CrossWalk Church, Williamsburg

The 2018-2019 Williamsburg Classics Series begins with a program of Spanish and South American origins. We’ll hear from a variety of composers hailing from Spain, Chile and Argentina for a dynamic, colorful program that highlights some familiar and some not-so-familiar works. The lush, whimsical sound of Soro’s Three Chilean Aires will sweep you away. The romantic tangos of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires featuring Concertmaster Vahn Armstrong will leave your heart racing and toes tapping. Then we dive into de Falla’s Three Cornered Hat Suite No. 1 with its lively characters and drama, followed by Ginastera’s folkloric and expressive Concert Variations.

Vahn Armstrong, violin

Soro: Tres aires chilenos
Piazzolla: Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas
de Falla: El Sombrero de tres picos, Suite No. 1
Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes

Holiday Brass • 12/14

Subscriptions Available Now! Tickets on sale this summer!

Friday, December 14, 2018 | St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg | 8PM

The bold sounds of the Virginia Symphony brass section ring in the holidays with a blast! Experience the festive sounds of the season in a concert filled with wit, virtuosity, and the glorious music of the holidays—featuring the VSO brass and percussion sections in an all-new program. You’ll enjoy music from a variety of styles that have made this concert a new holiday tradition!

Hidden Identity • 2/2

Subscriptions Available Now! Tickets on sale this summer!

Saturday, February 2, 2019 | Crosswalk Church, Williamsburg | 8PM

This program is centered around the concept of identity and the risks involved in being true to one’s own. Each composer in this program struggled with his own secrets. The concert opens with an overture to Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, in which Leonore must disguise herself as a prison guard to rescue her husband. George Corbett makes his VSO solo debut, performing the Concertino for English Horn by Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. Then, Copland’s Quiet City, featuring VSO principal trumpet David Vonderheide and English horn George Corbett. This piece represents a character from the Shaw play of the same name, who abandons his heritage and dreams in exchange for his material wealth and success. The program concludes with Beethoven’s cheerful Symphony No. 8, full of joy despite his onset of deafness.

George Corbett, English horn 
David Vonderheide, trumpet

Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3
Wolf-Ferrari: Concertino for English Horn
Copland: Quiet City
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8

Classics Reborn • 3/16

Subscriptions Available Now! Tickets on sale this summer!

Saturday, March 16, 2019 | Crosswalk Church, Williamsburg | 8PM

This concert is a celebration of innovation, examining works in which each composer borrows classic forms and make them new. The concert opens with Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn – often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music. The concert then shifts to Mozart’s lovely Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra, featuring VSO principal musicians Debra Wendells Cross and Barbara Chapman. The second half opens with Puccini’s dark-hued, melodic Chrysanthemums. We close with Stravinsky’s neoclassical masterpiece, Pulcinella. This suite is from a one-act ballet with original costumes and sets designed by Pablo Picasso.
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Debra Wendells Cross, flute
Barbara Chapman, harp

Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Haydn
Mozart: Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra K. 299
Puccini: Chrysanthemums 
Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite