Friday concert by VSO to feature great American music
October 5, 2016
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will present a program featuring quintessential works of the American orchestral repertoire at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tidewater Community College’s Roper Performing Arts Center.
As the election of the 45th American president approaches on Nov. 8, the VSO will present a program of music that pays homage to America’s ancestors and expresses the sentiments of landmark historical speeches, including Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.”
Friday’s program also will feature the music of Aaron Copland, one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Copland forged a uniquely American identity in orchestral music. Inspired by folk songs and jazz, his music often had an accessible style and rhythmic vitality. His open intervals, slowly progressing harmonies, and songful melodies evoke the vast frontier landscapes and optimistic pioneering spirit of the American west.
Benjamin Rous will conduct the VSO in a program that will include “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Lincoln Portrait” and “Appalachian Spring.” Special guest Edna Baehre-Kolovani, the president of Tidewater Community College, will narrate the inspirational “Lincoln Portrait.”
Rous will provide a historical and contextual snapshot of the composer and composition prior to the performance of each piece, while concert-goers in specially-priced “tweet seats” can engage in a live tweeting of the performance that will inform them of what to listen for and why in real time.
Ticket prices range from $25 to $50, with specially priced “tweet seats” costing $9.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 757-892-6366, visiting www.virginiasymphony.org, or visiting the Virginia Symphony Box Office at 150 Boush St., Suite 201, in Norfolk.
The box office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For group sales of 10 or more, call 757-466-3047.
VSO has no current plans to postpone the concert due to possible inclement weather, according to spokesperson Monica Meyer, who responded by email.
VSO tweeted about the performance Wednesday morning.
This story has been updated to include a comment from VSO.
