The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will survey the Great Plains, explore the Wild West, and even throw a Hoe Down at American Masters: Aaron Copland, the second concert in the HSO’s innovative Connections Series.
With musical selections performed by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and lively, interactive discussions led by Music Director Edward Cumming and WTIC-AM radio host and Hartford Courant columnist Colin McEnroe, Connecticut audiences will discover new ways to experience the music of Aaron Copland on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. at The Belding Theater in The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford..
Considered by many to be the greatest American composer of the 20th century, Aaron Copland dedicated himself to seeking and defining a distinctly “American” sound. This program will explore some of Copland’s most influential works, starting with “Buckaroo Holiday” and “Hoe Down” from Rodeo, which may be best recognized as the music from the “Beef: It’s what’s for dinner” commercials.
Actress Lauretta Pope will take the stage to act out a scene from Thornton Wilder’s Our Town whilst the Hartford Symphony Orchestra adds dramatic accompaniment with the music from Copland’s film score. Guest soloist Stewart Battle will join the orchestra for Old American Songs, which includes arrangements of the popular American tunes “Long Time Ago” and “Simple Gifts.” The second half of the concert will feature the iconic Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring, two works that never fail to inspire patriotism and pride.
Using a new concert format designed to put the audience in control, this season’s Connections Series explores the curiosities that many have about the masters of American music and classical music in general. The musicians of the Hartford Symphony will perform the music of a traditional orchestra concert, but instead of sitting quietly in a dark theater, guest speaker Colin McEnroe will lead members of the audience in engaging, uncensored dialogues about what they have heard. “The Connections Series has a new energy and vitality with the addition of Colin McEnroe as host,” says Hartford Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Kristen Phillips. “Colin and Edward use a range of fun and exciting ways to highlight the composer’s music, involve the musicians who are performing, and engage the audience with questions and direct participation.”
A well-known Connecticut personality, Colin McEnroe is a radio talk-show host, columnist, author, social commentator, and playwright. Colin hosts a weekday afternoon drive talk-show on WTIC-AM, the largest radio station in Connecticut. Colin has appeared in the Hartford Courant for over 20 years as a reporter and columnist. In addition, his columns have appeared in hundreds of newspapers across America and abroad, including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Family Fun, and Metropolitan Home.
Actress Lauretta Pope is thrilled to be returning to the stage with the Hartford Symphony, having last appeared in the Collegiate All-Stars Concert in 2007. She is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut’s Professional Actor Training Program, and has since appeared at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Kiss Me, Kate and Closer Than Ever, and at The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City as Gertrude McFuzz in their highly acclaimed “Theatre for Young Audiences” version of Seussical.
Baritone Stewart Battle has sung with numerous groups nationally and internationally, including the Opera Festival of New Jersey, Promusica of New Jersey, Spoleto Festival of Australia, The Baltimore Opera Company, The Washington Opera Company, The Southern Maryland Choral Society, Opera Ebony of New York, Nevilla Ottley Singers of D.C., Paul Hill Choral, and the Bach Society of Washington, D.C. Some of his featured performances include First Man in Susannah, Jailor in Tosca, Joe in Show Boat, Undertaker Jim in Porgy & Bess, Alcade and Surgeon in La Forza Del Destino, Pontius Pilate in St. Matthew Passion, Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte, Balthazar in Ahmal and the Night Visitors, Dr. King in Premier of Dr. King, and as Elijah in Mendelssohn's Elijah. -- www.hartfordsymphony.org
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