Two concerts will honor the birthdays of great composers—Mozart and Mendelssohn—while the final Gala concert will honor the A2SO's own birthday with a commission by UM Composition professor Evan Chambers.
Concertgoers will be energized by some of the best-quality American talent which just happens to call Ann Arbor home: pianists Joel Hastings and Louis Nagel, cellist Tony Elliott, singers Katherine Larson, Alice Pierce and Stephen West, and violinist Yehonatan Berick.
All Saturday performances are at 8 pm in the historic Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor—also celebrating its 80th anniversary. Family performances are at 4 pm in the Michigan Theater (Sing-Along with Santa is presented in the Bethlehem United Church of Christ at 4 pm).
Roots - September 20 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. In this season of commemoration, the A2SO completes its Naxos CD project with Fetler's Three Poems by Walt Whitman, a Bicentennial evocation of the yearning for innocence in times of war. Louis Nagel brings to life the raw intensity and rich sound of Ravel's neoclassical Piano Concerto. Finally, the A2SO rounds out the concert with Dvorák's cheery homage to his Bohemian roots, his Symphony No. 8. This concert is co-sponsored by Borders and Comerica Bank.
Music of the Northern Lights – October 18 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. Sibelius' only concerto, the Violin Concerto, heats up the cold Scandinavian night. Danish composer Carl Nielsen's dramatic Symphony No. 4, known as The Inextinguishable, culminates with a powerful "battle between two sets of timpani." Romantic Danish composer Gade was a friend of Mendelssohn and instructor of Nielsen and Grieg. Audience members will enjoy his Hamlet Overture, which is full of melodic beauty. This concert is sponsored by the Ray and Eleanor Cross Foundation.
The Orchestra is Here to Play – November 9 at 4 pm at the Michigan Theater. Join the A2SO and Gemini in this Family Concert as San and Laz share their warmth, humor and fun. Sing along with music from around the world and original songs about growing up. Also featured, you'll hear Gemini's entertaining and educational The Orchestra is Here to Play, which highlights the instruments of the orchestra for kids. Plus, our Ann Arbor connections continue with a performance by the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale, under the direction of Shayla Hottinger Powell. The Family Concert Series is sponsored by Dickinson Wright, and this concert is co-sponsored by the Benard L. Maas Foundation.
Dances Sacred & Profane – November 15 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. Welcome to the stage Primor Sluchin—a world-class harpist and one of the only women to play in the famed Berlin Philharmonic. Handel's only Harp Concerto (later published for organ) offers improvisatory musings and exposed, rolling solos. By contrast, Debussy's Dances Sacre et Profane is a chromatic exploration of Spanish and Portuguese dance. Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 also has dance influences and presents a colorful and emotional "walk in a garden." The Magic Harp by Schubert, also known as the Rosamunde Overture, is a warm-hearted and good humored work of a true master. This concert is sponsored by Toyota.
Sing-Along with Santa – December 6 at 4 pm at Bethlehem United Church of Christ. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has a special relationship with Santa. Each year he sleds in from the North Pole to meet with the children of Ann Arbor at our Sing-Along. He loves to see the youngsters and sing with them in all his favorite carols. This Family Concert will includes music by an A2SO soloist, treats and photos with the big guy! This concert series is sponsored by Dickinson Wright.
Magic Flute - Mozart's Birthday Bash – January 24 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. This special semi-staged concert opera brings together extraordinary soloists, three young singers from the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale, Steven Whiting as narrator and the beautiful talents of the Vocal Arts Ensemble for a magical presentation that will live in audience members' memory for years to come. Featuring Rebekah Nye as the Queen of the Night, Stephen West as Papageno, Alice Pierce as Papagena, John Shuffle as Zarastro, Jennifer Larson as Pamina, Matthew Garret as Tamino, with solos by Sarah Nisbett and George Cornelius. This concert is sponsored by Campbell Industries.
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage – January 25 at 4 pm at the Michigan Theater. In this Family Concert, the Dream Children are about to be written out of Mozart's most famous opera. Hoping to change their fate, they enlist the help of the composer's young son Karl. Together the children embark on an incredible journey that takes them back in time to Mozart's childhood and far into the future. Along the way, Karl learns a lot about his father and comes to understand his legacy of timeless music. The A2SO and actors from Classical Kids share center stage. This concert series is sponsored by Dickinson Wright.
Midsummer in March – Mendelssohn's 200th Birthday – March 21 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. Our celebration of Mendelssohn's birthday begins with his celebratory music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was the source for the ever-popular "Wedding March." Theatrical music continues with Walton's Suite from "The Wise Virgins," a delicate ballet based on Bach themes like "Sheep May Safely Graze." Canadian-born 2006 International Web Concert Hall winner Joel Hastings dances across the keys for the improvisatory and popular Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1. Mendelssohn's 5th "Reformation" Symphony is a large work featuring the music of Martin Luther and concludes with the thunderous "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." This concert is sponsored by Campbell Industries.
The Planets – March 22 at 4 pm at the Michigan Theater. 2009 is the year of "The Universe: Yours to Discover" at U of M. In honor of the celebration, the A2SO presents a Family Concert of music from outer space by way of Hollywood. We open with the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey: Richard Strauss' powerful Also sprach Zarathustra. This is followed by music from Holst's The Planets, which was used in The Right Stuff. Finally the granddaddy of all space films, Star Wars is featured in a suite from the movies by John Williams. Plus, during the concert, watch amazing actual photos of Saturn and Mars taken through U of M's Cassini-Huygens Project! You will also hear a newly commissioned piece by Theresa Martin based on I Want to Be, by MacArthur Winner Thylias Moss. This concert series is sponsored by Dickinson Wright.
A Grand Affair – April 18 at 8 pm at the Michigan Theater. Our 80th Anniversary season concludes with a commissioned work by U of M Composition Professor Evan Chambers called Watershed. This pieces uses the Huron River Watershed as a metaphor for the standing of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra in this region and its history. Local virtuoso cellist Anthony Elliott mounts the stage with Shostakovich's popular and colorful Cello Concerto No. 1, which is relentless and lyrical. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra concludes its landmark season with Mahler's Symphony No. 4. Katherine Larson is the featured soloist for Mahler's symphony evoking a child's vision of Heaven—a place of beautiful music, of course! This concert is sponsored by Jim and Millie Irwin. -- www.a2so.com
