Portland Orchestra Honors Stravinsky's 125th Birthday

For the Stravinsky I, on Sunday, November 4, the emphasis will be on Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, a neoclassical masterpiece based on themes from Baroque composer Pergolesi. Maestro Silverstein will conduct and play the violin, along with PSO principal violist Laurie Kennedy, in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. This Sunday matinee will also feature Mozart’s Overture to The Impresario and an Elgar Serenade for Strings. The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. with a Concert Conversation with Maestro Silverstein at 1:15 p.m.

Laurie Brown Kennedy has been principal violist and frequent soloist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra since 1981. Pursuing a lifelong love of chamber music, she has performed every summer for over thirty years at the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival, a 5-week series in Harrison. She is also founder, co-director, and violist with Maine Mountain Chamber Music, which has presented a series at the University of Maine at Farmington since 2002. Laurie teaches violin, viola and chamber music in the Farmington area.

Stravinsky II on Tuesday, November 13 features the immensely popular Petrouchka, which has become one of the most familiar and beloved orchestral works of the 20th century, combining dance hall tunes and Russian folk songs with remarkably evocative musical portraits of puppets brought to life. The first half of this program opens with Mendelssohn’s lively Overture to Ruy Blas and also includes the passionate and colorful Violin Concerto by Antonin Dvorak, with Augustin Hadelich as soloist. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with a Concert Conversation with Maestro Silverstein at 6:15 p.m.

Gold medalist of the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Augustin Hadelich has established himself as a commanding and unique voice among the new generation of violinists. Performing since the age of seven, Hadelich has appeared with the Ann Arbor Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Greenwich Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony. Born in Italy in 1984, the son of German parents, Hadelich holds a diploma (summa cum laude) from the Instituto Mascagni in Livorno, Italy, and a graduate diploma from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Joel Smirnoff. In 1999, Hadelich almost lost his life in a fire at the family's farm in Italy. His successful return to the concert stage after many operations and months of painful recovery is a testament to his remarkable talent and indomitable spirit. -- www.portlandsymphony.com