David Alan Miller's Top Classical Picks for Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Albany Symphony!

As the sky grows dark and the moon glows bright, here is a list of the creepiest classical masterpieces to accompany your night.  

From witchcraft to demons and dancing skeletons, ghost stories and ancient legends have inspired composers to write haunting melodies and rich orchestrations that have stood the test of time.

Check out David Alan Miller's Top Classical Picks for Halloween. 

1. Night On Bald Mountain- Modest Mussorgsky

Night on Bald Mountain is a a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky.  The work,  most commonly associated with Walt Disney's Fantasia, was first conceived as an Opera based on Nikolai Gogol's story St. John’s Eve.   Plans were later discussed to transform the work into a one-act opera based on Baron Mengden’s play The Witches.  The work was later completed by Mussorgsky in 1867 as a "tone picture" for orchestra and brilliantly depicts a witches sabbath on St. John's Night  on Mount Triglav near Kiev.

It is important to note that the version included on Walt Disney's Fantasia was a re-orchestration of the work composed by Mussorgsky's friend, Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886.

Wolf's Glen scene from Der Freischutz by von Weber

The Wolf's  Glen Scene is a famous scene from Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischutz. Premiered in Germany on June 18, 1821, Der Freischutz is considered to be the first important German opera of the Romantic period.  The first American performance of this opera took place in the Park Theatre, New York, March 2, 1825. 

The Wolf's Glen Scene is notable for the haunting and spooky musical motif's that signal Casper's encounter with Samiel, the devil and a host of demons.

la Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saens

Danse macabre (Dance of Death) by French composer Camille Saint-Saens, is a tone poem for orchestra based on an old French legend.  Originally composed in 1872 as an art song for voice and piano with a French text by Henri Cazalis, the composer reworked the piece  into its current form by replacing the vocal line with a solo violin and substituting the the piano accompaniment for orchestra.

According to the old French legend, "Death" appears at midnight on Halloween and calls forth the dead to dance for him while he plays his fiddle.   As depicted in this piece, the skeletons dance for him until dawn, when they must return to their graves until next Halloween.

They Are Always With Me from The Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano

Premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House on December 19, 1991,  The Ghosts of Versailles is an opera in two acts by Grammy Award-winning composer, John Corigliano and librettist William Hoffman.

Considered by Corigliano as a "grand opera buffa", The Ghosts of Versailles  is set in the afterlife with the ghosts of the court of Louis XVI.    Needless to say, the Opera is infested with ghosts tormented by the French Revolution.   

You can rent the entire Opera on Demand at MetOpera.org or read a full synopsis at JohnCorigliano.com.

Looking Forward to PEER GYNT & Tchaikovsky

Here are three terms relevant to this October program: ekphrasis, puckish, and circular breathing.

In poetry there’s a term that refers to poem about a work of art: ekphrasis. A few examples come quickly to mind, including W.H. Auden’s “Musee des Beaux Arts,” whose inspiration is “The Fall of Icarus,” a painting by Pieter Breughel; and Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven.” In each case the poet refers to a previously existing work of art that prompts poetic commentary, and the reader then learns more about the original in addition to appreciating the poem itself and the mastery with which it has been composed. (Auden’s is a subtly rhyming piece, while Millay’s is an English sonnet.)

For our purposes we might stretch the definition a bit to include both musical and artistic responses to a work of literature. In his famous overture, Francesca da Rimini, Tchaikovsky captures the dramatic events of Dante’s story of Francesca and Paolo (told in The Divine Comedy), while Gustave Dore does so with engravings (a total of 156) of Dante’s poem. . And there’s even an opera by Rachmaninoff, called Francesca da Rimini, which you can find on YouTube.

“Puckish” refers, of course, to that mischievous character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but it certainly can be an adjective describing much of the music of Leroy Anderson. Two other musicians who gained fame for being puckish are Victor Borge and Spike Jones, both of whom you can catch on YouTube by searching by name. Look first, however, at the charming YouTube video called  “Typewriter Symphony Orchestra” if you want to appreciate the joy that Anderson’s music brings audiences and musicians. You can barely contain a smile, but why should you?

Finally, circular breathing, a technique that wind players know all about. Katherine Needleman, who will play Christopher Rouse’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (which Rouse characterizes as “genial” and “amorous”) at the October 22 and 23 concerts in Troy, practices the technique, which you can find out about on YouTube in a handful of videos. Just punch in “circular breathing.” While on YouTube, take a look at Ms. Needleman’s video about her stolen oboe, which, unfortunately, she never recovered, prompting her to say in an email to me about the loss and that oboe’s replacements: “I also carry my instrument of the moment on me personally all the time or lock it up in a safe, not because they are very valuable—they’re not compared to most instruments. Some sort of response to the event, I suppose.” And then visit katherineneedleman.com (click on “Live” once there) for a fabulous performance of the Poulenc Sonata for Oboe and Piano, a work, by the way, that has many puckish moments of its own. 

Who's Who in Roscoe: An American Grand Opera!

Deborah Voigt, Evan Mack, and Jeffrey Williams rehearsing Roscoe at Voigt's studio in San Fransisco, CA.

Based on William Kennedy's acclaimed Novel, Roscoe is a new American Opera by Composer Evan Mack and Librettist Joshua McGuire.  Set in Albany on V-J Day 1945. Roscoe is the 2nd in command of the Albany political machine.  After years as the motor of Albany he longs to retire, but a tragic suicide, a love affair, a custody battle, and a critical mayoral race amid gamblers, gangsters and cops pull him back in.

Roscoe will have its orchestral premiere on October 15th at the historic Palace Theatre featuring a cast of world class vocalists including Met Opera Diva, Deborah Voigt.  

Tickets start at just $15.  Reserve your seats today!  Call 518.694.3300 or buy online.

Jeffrey Williams as Roscoe Conway

American baritone Jeffrey Williams has been hailed by Baltimore Sun, as “very likeable, a winning performance sung with much confidence, phrasing everything stylishly,” and by Miami Herald as possessing a “commanding, sizeable, effortless, manly baritone.” --> Learn More

Deborah Voigt as Veronica Fitzgibbon

Deborah Voigt is increasingly recognized as one of the world’s most versatile singers and one of music’s most endearing personalities. Through her performances and television appearances, she is known for the singular power and beauty of her voice, as well as for her captivating stage presence. Having made her name as a leading dramatic soprano, she is internationally revered for her performances in the operas of Wagner, Strauss, and is also an active recitalist and performer of Broadway standards and popular songs. --> Learn More

Danielle Messina (Cover for Veronica) and Young Veronica

Danielle Messina, soprano, hailed for being a fine actress with a “big, bright voice” by Music in Cincinnati, and “limpid-voiced” by Classical Voice America, is looking toward an exciting season. --> Learn More

Tascha Anderson as Pamela Yusupov

Mezzo-soprano Tascha Anderson has received acclaim from audiences on both the east and west coasts. A native of Montana, she has been praised as “emotionally rich”, “a brassy mezzo with flair,” and “a delight because of her rich lower register.” Ms. Anderson was most recently seen in the world premiere of Evan Mack’s Roscoe at the Seagle Music Colony. -->Learn More

Kevin Newell as Alex Fitzgibbon

As a growing specialist in contemporary opera, Kevin Newell made his mainstage debut at Fort Worth Opera in 2012 as Maron in Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata. This summer, Opera Today proclaimed that Newell is an artist “whose stock is no doubt on the rise,” as he performed the role of Simon Stimson in Our Town at Central City Opera. Newell recently performed in the world premier Absurdopera, two one-act operas at the 2013 Latino Music Festival, Words & Music and The Leader, both by composer Gustavo Leone. As Jonathan Dale in Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer-Prize winning opera Silent Night in 2014 (Fort Worth Opera), Newell received great critical review. --> Learn More

Zac Engle as Felix Conway

Zac Engle won recognition early in his career, receiving the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Encouragement Award in 2010. His light lyric sound with high extension, strong stage presence, and comedic timing allows him to perform a broad spectrum of operatic repertoire ranging from buffo to seria. --> Learn More

Eric McConnell as Elisha Fitzgibbon

Eric J. McConnell, bass-baritone, has been commended for his “finely pointed vocalism” and “deep and firm” low notes (South Florida Classical Review), as well as for his "well-toned voice" (El Nuevo Herald). Most recently, Mr. McConnell has performed the roles of Olin Blitch (Susannah), Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Simone (Gianni Schicchi), and Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte). Recent professional credits include the roles of William Jennings Bryan (The Ballad of Baby Doe) and Antonio in (Le nozze di Figaro) in Central City Opera’s Family Performance series, as well as the Jailer in Central City’s performance of Tosca. --> Learn More

Eli McCormack as Gilby Fitzgibbon: 

Elijah McCormack (Gilby) recently completed his undergraduate education at Skidmore College. He has previously played the role of Gilby in a concert performance of "Roscoe," and most recently sang the role of Arsamenes in Handel's "Xerxes" at Skidmore. He received Skidmore's Barbara Gruntal Allen voice prize in both 2015 and 2016, and has studied voice with Gene Marie Callahan, Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins, and Joyce Erickson. He hopes to attend graduate school for voice.

Caitlin Mathes as Hattie

American Mezzo-Soprano Caitlin Mathes has been hailed by critics as "charming" and "smashing." She has been praised for her "natural acting aility" and "vocal agility." 

Ms. Mathes has recently finished her residency with Portland Opera as the mezzo soprano in their studio program.  During that time she also gave her NYC debut recital/cabaret at the National Arts Club. --> Learn More

 Lauren Cook as Gladys

"Praised for her engaging stage presence and “full... nuanced” voice, soprano Lauren Cook recently created the role of Veronica Fitzgibbon in Evan Mack's Roscoe. Cook has performed many principal roles including Susanna, Nannetta, Tina, Melisande, Poppea, Tisbe, Dew Fairy, Cosette, and Rapunzel. During the 2016 season, Cook made her debut at Opera Company of Middlebury, and has performed leading roles at the Seagle Music Colony, The Boston Conservatory Opera, Louisiana State University Opera, La Musica Lirica, Opéra Louisiane, and the Louisiana Opera Outreach Program. Cook received her Bachelor of Vocal Performance and Music Education from Louisiana State University, and her Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory." -->Learn More

Tom Mulder as O.B. Conway: Coming Soon

Keith Browning as Mac

Keith Browning, Tenor, has performed leading roles in L’italiana in Algeri at Seagle Music Colony, Die Fledermaus and Albert Herring at the Maryland Opera Studio, La Boheme at Brevard Music Center, and Candide at Ash Lawn Opera. He premiered the role of Nathan in Gregory Vajda’s Georgia Bottoms: A Comic Opera of the Modern South with Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio.

Jose Rubio as Cutie la Rue/Legs Diamond/Young Roscoe

Internationally acclaimed Baritone José Rubio has quickly established himself performing at major and regional venues across the country.  Equally comfortable in the concert hall as on the operatic stage, Mr. Rubio's Carnegie Hall Recital Debut which was met with great acclaim. The Opera Insider proclaimed that the "...recital was nothing short of stellar." describing the performance as "...an hour of intensely passionate singing and playing.  It could have gone on forever without complaint." -->Learn More

Ryan Stoll as Bind McCall: 

"Bass-baritone Ryan Stoll  was recently a member of Chautauqua Opera’s Studio program where he covered the Barone and Dottore in la Traviata as well as The Mikado in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado.  Mr. Stoll has performed the role of Barone (la Traviata), Bartolo (le Nozze di Figaro), Bartolo and Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Superintendent Budd (Albert Herring), and was a featured chorister with Fort Worth Opera singing the Servant in la Traviata and German Solider in Silent Night. "

Tyler Simpson as Patsy McCall

A highlight of the season, bass-baritone Tyler Simpson appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as a guest soloist for their televised Christmas Spectacular in December 2015. The concert, which will air on PBS in December 2016, featured traditional Christmas songs, new arrangements, and selections from Handel’s Messiah. The 2015- 2016 season marked Tyler's sixth consecutive season at the Metropolitan Opera, where he has worked on 18 productions after having made his debut in Verdi's Don Carlo in the 2010-2011 season. During his tenure, he has sung roles in Le Comte Ory, Tosca, The Enchanted Island, and Macbeth. He has also covered roles in Verdi's Don Carlo and La traviata, Simon Boccanegra, Anna Bolena, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Lulu, and Billy Budd with the company. --> Learn More

Albany Pro Musica Chorus. 

Albany Pro Musica (APM) is revered for its mastery of intimate a cappella works and is critically acclaimed for performances of large scale choral/orchestral works. APM is the Chorus-in-Residence at the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, and enjoys a long-standing collaboration with the University at Albany (SUNY) where rehearsals and master classes take place. The organization also participates in civic, educational and community musical events, and regularly partners with local high schools, the Capital District Youth Chorale, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and other regional artistic organizations. Recent performances with the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the prestigious Saratoga Performing Arts Center add yet another dimension to APM’s reputation as the preeminent chorus in the Capital Region. --> Learn More

Jennifer McGuire, Opera Coach

Jennifer McGuire is Senior Lecturer in Collaborative Piano at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. She has also been on the faculty of Georgia College and State University, and was a repetitor for the AIMS festival in Graz, Austria, from 2008-10. McGuire has also worked for Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Opera, Nashville Opera and the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and is a regular accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. --> Learn More

Inside Roscoe: Adapting William Kennedy's Novel for the Opera Stage

On October 15 the new American opera, Roscoe, based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy, will premiere at the historic Palace Theatre in Albany.  Tickets are on sale now. 

Tragic, comic, and poignant-Roscoe is ripe with political corruption, scandal, and crime.

In advance of this one-of-a-kind event, on October 5, the opera's composer and librettist, Evan Mack and Joshua McGuire, will be joined by Mr. Kennedy at SUNY Plaza in Downtown Albany to discuss the process of adapting the novel for the stage.  Roscoe, published in 2002, in one of Kennedy's critically acclaimed "Albany Cycle" novels, and the thick of the action takes place in the heart of downtown in the 1930s and 1940s.

Program sponsored by New York State Writers Institute, The State University of New York, Albany Cultural Heritage and Tourism Partnership, and the Albany Symphony.

For more information call Justin Cook at 518.694.3300 x141

Albany Symphony Celebrates 25 Years of Adventurous Music-Making Under David Alan Miller's Leadership

Opening Night Concert features masterworks by Ravel and Sibelius, plus a new work for Hindustani Soprano and Orchestra.

Albany, NY -  On September 24th, the Albany Symphony will kick off David Alan Miller’s 25th Anniversary Season at the Palace Theatre, celebrating the Grammy® award-winning Conductor’s leadership and the orchestra’s world-class musicians.  Miller, recipient of over 25 ASCAP Awards for adventurous and innovative programming, the 2003 Ditson Conductor’s Award, and a 2014 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation and a champion of American symphonic music.  Miller’s commitment to giving voice to new works by living American composers will be celebrated on September 24, 2016 at 7:00PM with the Capital Region debut performance of “Aria” for Hindustani Soprano and Orchestra by two-time ASCAP Morton Gould Award winner, Reena Esmail.  The piece is Esmail’s most ambitious work, incorporating a Hindustani classical soloist alongside a western orchestra. Of “Aria,” composer Esmail writes: "I love to create spaces where Indian and Western musicians can make music together, each working from their own tradition and training to engage in a beautiful dialogue between these two incredible musical cultures."

The Opening Night performance will also feature internationally acclaimed pianist Natasha Paremski performing, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, a three movement concerto inspired by partly by the jazz music Ravel encountered during his 1928 American concert tour; and a centennial performance of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, originally composed in 1915 and revised first in 1916. Immediately following the performance, patrons are invited to support the Albany Symphony at the Opening Night Gala.

“I am so honored to have had the privilege of working with the extraordinary musicians of the Albany Symphony for the past quarter-century,” said Maestro Miller. “I wanted this season to be a celebration of our achievements, but even more, a chance for us to look boldly to the future by featuring the great composers of tomorrow, like Reena Esmail.  Also, I want to share some of my absolutely favorite pieces with our passionate Capital Region public, pieces like Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony and the glorious Ravel Concerto that simply take my breath away with their countless beauties.”    

Tickets to the concert start at $19, and can be purchased by calling the Albany Symphony Box Office at (518) 694-3300 or online at albanysymphony.com.  Concert & Gala Packages are also available, starting at $200.

About The Albany Symphony:

The Albany Symphony is one of this region’s most revered music and cultural institutions, having won numerous national awards for its adventurous concert programming, recording projects, composer residencies, and innovative educational efforts involving area schools.

The Albany Symphony’s season, which spans ten months from September through June, features timeless masterpieces, brilliant soloists, thrilling new compositions, and holiday and family programming. The trailblazing American Music Festival caps each season with a full week of dynamic new works by some of today’s best composers. As the only professional orchestra based in the Capital Region, the Albany Symphony enriches a broad and diverse community and engages more than 150,000 people each year throughout the area.

For more information, visit albanysymphony.com.

About David Alan Miller

Grammy® Award-winning conductor David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras.

A native of Los Angeles, David Alan Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School. Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. From 1982 to 1988, he was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, earning considerable acclaim for his work with that ensemble. Mr. Miller lives with his wife and three children in Slingerlands, New York.

About Reena Esmail

Indian-American composer Reena Esmail enjoys working in both the Western and Hindustani (North Indian) classical music idioms.

Esmail holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from The Juilliard School, and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Her primary teachers have included Susan Botti, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Theofanidis and Martin Bresnick, Christopher Rouse and Samuel Adler. She has won numerous awards, including the Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (and subsequent publication of a work by C.F. Peters) and two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. She is currently in the post-residential period of her doctoral degree at the Yale School of Music.

Esmail was a recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru grant for the 2011-2012 year and lived in New Delhi, India, where she was affiliated with the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts at Delhi University, and studied Hindustani vocal music with Gaurav Mazumdar. She was selected as a 2011 INK Fellow to speak about her work at the INK Conference (in association with TED) in Jaipur, with additional engagements in Chennai, Delhi and Goa.

About Natasha Paremski

"Comparisons with Argerich should not be given lightly, but Paremski is so clearly of the same temperament and technique that it is unavoidable here." — American Record Guide

With her consistently striking and dynamic performances, pianist Natasha Paremski reveals astounding virtuosity and voracious interpretive abilities. She continues to generate excitement from all corners as she wins over audiences with her musical sensibility and flawless technique.

Born in Moscow, Natasha moved to the United-States at the age of 8 and became a US citizen shortly thereafter. She is now based in New York.

Natasha was awarded several very prestigious artist prizes at a very young age, including the Gilmore Young Artists prize in 2006 at the age of 18, the Prix Montblanc in 2007, the Orpheum Stiftung Prize in Switzerland. In September 2010, she was awarded the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year.

About Saili Oak

A finalist on the popular reality TV series Zee Marathi SaReGaMaPa, Saili is a senior disciple of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, a leading vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She has established her own identity with enriched talent in classical, as well as, semi-classical music.

aili has been learning music since the age of 3 years and has given performances at music festivals all over India and abroad. Some of her memorable performances include the Summer Sounds festival at the Hollywood bowl, Vedic Heritage in New York, Beyond Borders concert at the University of Maine to name a few. Her performances have been appreciated for her meticulous architecture of 'khayal', her systematic and well-crafted raga exploration and laudable command over the 'laya'.Saili has several albums and singles to her credit including the two tracks she recently recorded for Trevor Hall's album 'Kala'.

Having won the All India Classical music competition at the young age of 17, Saili regularly performs at the All India Radio. She was also conferred the Ministry of Culture's Scholarship for Hindustani music. She has graduated in Hindustani music from the Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal. Saili has been awarded the prestigious Pt.Jasraj Yuva award, Pt Vasantrao Deshpande Yuva award, Gaanwardhan Award.

For media inquiries, contact:

Justin Cook

Albany Symphony

Marketing & Patron Services Manager

justinc@AlbanySymphony.com

(518) 465-4755 

Looking Forward to Concert No. 1 by Paul Lamar

Looking Forward Preview Series

By Paul Lamar

What better way to start the Albany Symphony season this year than with a celebration of David Alan Miller’s 25th year as music director! When you look at the program for the September 24 concert, you might wonder how the pieces fit together. How did David decide to put these three works together? In a conventional sense there is usually a curtain raiser of some sort, followed by a concerto, and---after intermission---a blockbuster symphony. To that extent this program is conventional. But the questions remain: which curtain raiser, which concerto, and which symphony? Check out David on YouTube in a six-minute segment called “David Alan Miller talks about the art of programming.” Fascinating.

Reena Esmail is featured in numerous YouTube videos. Visit the brief choral piece called “Tuttarana,” performed by the Mount Holyoke Glee Club, for a sense of what her music (both Western and Hindustani based) sounds like. And you might want to stop by Opalka Gallery, The Sage Colleges, 140 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, for an art show by Siona Benjamin called “Beyond Borders.” As William Jaeger notes in his positive Times Union review of August 28, “(Benjamin’s) influences as a Jewish woman growing up in mostly Hindu and Muslim India, and her further influences resettling to a contemporary United States, are naturally complicated. Gladly complicated.” The show opens on September 8 and runs through October 9.

In addition to bringing new composers before the Capital Region public, Maestro Miller frequently introduces us to soloists with whom we may not be familiar. I didn’t know Natasha Paremski’s name before seeing it on the program, but after watching her YouTube performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, with Andrew Litton (the new conductor of the New York City Ballet, by the way), I can’t wait to see her in the Ravel. This year she is concertizing at least 40 times throughout the world. In September alone she will be in California with the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, in Mississippi with the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, and, after Albany, in Ontario, with the Rach 3. Catch her on YouTube in recital and with orchestra, and listen to “Conversations with Natasha Paremski,” six minutes of personal reflection. Also, check out her website: natashaparemski.com

Sibelius! One of the beauties of looking at a performance on YouTube is the camera work; that is, you not only hear the music, but you get to see, up close, exactly who is making the music. Is that the sound of an oboe or an English horn? How do strings play pizzicato? What does a brass mute look like? Watch a movement of the Symphony No. 5, and check out Sibelius’s orchestration. In particular, observe the way he layers sound in the last four or five minutes of the symphony as the camera zooms in on each section. (I’m thinking of the Leonard Bernstein performance with the Vienna Philharmonic. Spectacular.)

OPENING NIGHT: RAVEL & SIBELIUS

PREMIUM SEATS ARE SELLING FAST!

ORDER TODAY!  CALL 518.694.3300 OR BUY ONLINE.

This Fall at the Albany Symphony

The Albany Symphony's 2016.17 season is right around the corner.  This year we will be celebrating 25 years of electrifying music under the leadership of David Alan Miller.

Here is a little preview of what you will hear and see this fall at the Albany Symphony.

Tickets are on-sale now through the box office. Call 518.694.3300.

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Opening Night Concert & Gala // September 24, 2016 at the Palace Theatre

Natasha Paremski will make her Albany Symphony debut performing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G.   Hailed by critics as fierce and virtuosic, you can expect a striking and dynamic performance.  Also on the program is Sibelius' noble 5th Symphony and "Aria" for Hindustani Soprano and Orchestra by Two-time ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Reena Esmail.

Natasha Paremski Plays Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3, Andrew Litton conducting Bergen Philharmonic September 4, 2015 Grieg Hall, Bergen, Norway

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Roscoe: An American Grand Opera // October 15, 2016 at the Palace Theatre

The radiant voice of Opera Superstar, Deborah Voigt is matched by Evan Mack's rich compositional technique, and the tragic, yet comic story of Roscoe by Pulitzer price-winning author, William Kennedy.  

Premiered this summer at the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake, NY, the Albany Symphony will give new life to Evan Mack's Opera and William Kennedy's  political drama at the Palace Theatre, just steps from the fictional home of Roscoe, the motor of Albany's political machine. 

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Sunday Symphonies For Families 

World Series of Music with Coach Dave // October 16, 2016 at the Palace Theatre

Join Coach Dave and the World Champion Albany Symphony for an afternoon of HITS by Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, John Phillip Sousa and more!  See the Albany Symphony is action as you are introduced to the instruments of the orchestra and the important roles on the team. You'll be left singing "Take Me Out to the Symphony!"

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Peer Gynt // October 22 and 23, 2016 at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Edvard Grieg is a leading Romantic era composer from Norway. While Norway may not be considered a classical music powerhouse, like Italy, Austria, or Germany, Greig was prolific and revered by audiences world-wide.  Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 is Grieg's most famous work.  Since its premiere, Peer Gynt's iconic melodies have been integrated into pop culture.  Grieg's timeless melodies, "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" were made popular to general audiences by Bugs Bunny, The Who, and the hit TV show The Simpsons.

Hear Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 performed LIVE by the Albany Symphony alongside the Donna Diana Overture (Theme Music for Sgt. Preston of the Yukon), Tchaikovsky's beloved Francesca da Rimini and an Oboe Concerto by American master composer, Christopher Rouse.

ALBANY SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES JERRY AND GERRY GOLUB AS HONORARY CHAIRS FOR 2016 OPENING NIGHT GALA

2016 Opening Night Gala to Take Place on Saturday, September 24

The Albany Symphony today announced that Jerel and Geraldine Golub have graciously agreed to serve as Honorary Chairs for this year’s Opening Night Gala, which will take place on Saturday, September 24 at the Palace Theatre immediately following the 7:00 pm scheduled concert.  Jerry and Gerry Golub have been strong supporters of the Albany Symphony for many years, and their enthusiasm and support has truly helped to mold the Albany Symphony into what it is today.  

“Gerry and I are very excited to have been asked to serve as this year’s Honorary Chairs of the Opening Night Gala," said Jerry Golub. “It’s our pleasure to be involved in such a remarkable organization, especially as we celebrate David Alan Miller’s 25 amazing years as Music Director. We are tremendously proud to support the unique and talented musicians of the Albany Symphony.” 

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Jerry and Gerry for a long time, and I am delighted that they’ve agreed to serve as Honorary Chairs of the 2016 Opening Night Gala,” said Maestro David Alan Miller. “I look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with them come September, and I hope that all friends of the arts will join us for a night of merriment, music, and most importantly, the incredible talent that makes our symphony so extraordinary.”

The 2016 Opening Night Gala will take place at the dazzling Palace Theatre immediately following the concert performance featuring pieces by Ravel and Sibelius. Patrons are invited to join this celebratory black-tie affair and can purchase tickets at this link or by visiting the Palace Theatre box office on weekdays between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

"Simple Songs with an Important Message"

 After a fabulous evening of good feeling culminating with the Songs of the Rolling Earth concert, we woke to some really sad news. The nation is in mourning. The mass shooting in Orlando cast a dark shadow on our psyche. Perpetrated by the few, provided with freedom and liberty yet choosing to forsake that gift, to the detriment of many. Indeed, we have lost many good people. Individuals like us, or maybe not. But they were enjoying life, an evening of lightness, not knowing it would be their last. They were friends, lovers, parents, siblings, sons and daughters. Special people, creative people, productive people. People I would have most likely never have known in life. But now, now I want to know everything there is to know about them as a way of honoring their legacy.

This year's American Music Festival's theme was "Earth," yet a subtext could easily have been "inclusion," for there was much depth, dimension and variety. The full spectrum of the American musical landscape was represented - classical, experimental, jazz, electronic, world music, etc. I admit, I can't relate to it all. And that's ok: you don't have to feel like you must like everything, but keep an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised. I know that works for me. "Simple Songs," Aaron Jay Kernis' composition - a compilation of texts on spirituality drawn from Western and Eastern traditions, took on added significance in light of today's events.

The piece, an abstraction about the common threads that unite us as spiritual beings, turned palpable, real, and relevant. Reflecting on the crystal clear vocals of Talise Trevigne: "Blessed are the man and that woman who have grown beyond their greed and have put an end to their hatred," the message is arrestingly poignant. Even in mans' darkest hours, music is a constant. It has the capacity to reflect, comfort and lift spirits. Inevitably, a formal compositional response will address this discordant period in our collective consciousness. Now is not the time, but I fervently believe that musical events like the 2016 American Music Festival are powerful forces for positive social change, and are worthy of our support.

Dr. Arthur Falk of Slingerlands, NY

Albany Symphony Patron

ALBANY SYMPHONY TO PERFORM AT 2018 SHIFT: A FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS

Albany Symphony is one of four American orchestras selected to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and showcase recent works by Tower, Daugherty, Torke and more.

Albany, NY -  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington Performing Arts has announced that the Albany Symphony has been selected to participate in the second Annual SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras, taking place at the Kennedy Center and other locations around Washington D.C. from April 9-15, 2018.

SHIFT shines a weeklong spotlight on North American orchestras of all sizes, and celebrates their vitality, identity, and extraordinary artistry by creating an immersive festival experience in the nation’s capital.

The Albany Symphony is one of four orchestras chosen from a pool of applicants from across the country- each of which will offer a Kennedy Center Concert Hall performance and a city-wide residency. For their Kennedy Center debut on April 11, 2018, the Albany Symphony will feature tuba soloist Carol Jantsch and pianist Joyce Yang on a program of works by Joan Tower, Michael Daugherty, Dorothy Chang and Michael Torke.

As part of the SHIFT Festival residency, the Albany Symphony’s 16-member new music ensemble, Dogs of Desire, will collaborate with Theo Bleckmann and the six composers of Sleeping Giant on a full-evening “lieder-abend,” and bring its treasured composer residency program to D.C. area middle schools.

Co-Presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington Performing Arts, the festival’s title, SHIFT, recognizes the dynamic, evolving work of orchestras in the 21st century and expresses a commitment to shifting pre-conceived notions about orchestras.  

In announcing the Albany Symphony’s selection, David Alan Miller commented: “The Albany Symphony and I are deeply honored to represent the Capital Region in the nation’s capital at the 2018 SHIFT Festival. We are particularly excited to have the opportunity to showcase not only the unique programming of the full orchestra, but also our one-of-a-kind new music ensemble, “Dogs of Desire,” and our very special community outreach and engagement activities.  We hope all of our Capital Region friends will journey with us to the Festival to celebrate our community, its uniqueness, and the rivers that surround and connect us to each other and to the larger world.”

The festival’s presence in Washington also provides an opportunity for orchestras to interact with elected representatives in order to educate members of Congress about the value of the arts and orchestras in particular. The League of American Orchestras will partner with SHIFT to facilitate engagements on Capitol Hill and conversations about the impact and value that the arts and orchestras can provide to their communities. 

Generous support of SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras is provided through a matching grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support is provided by Daniel R. Lewis.

April 11, 2018, at 8 p.m., Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Albany Symphony

“The River Flows Through Us”

David Alan Miller, conductor

Joyce Yang, piano

Carol Jantsch, tuba

JOAN TOWER                               Still/Rapids

                                                      Joyce Yang, piano

MICHAEL DAUGHERTY              Reflections on the Mississippi, Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra

                                                     Carol Jantsch, tuba

DOROTHY CHANG                      The Grand Erie Canal

                                                      with local D.C. public school choruses

MICHAEL TORKE                          Three Manhattan Bridges

                                                       Joyce Yang, piano

The program explores the history of upstate New York through the lens of bodies of water that surround and connect communities. Three of the featured works were commissioned and premiered by the Albany Symphony: Michael Torke’s major new work for piano and orchestra, Three Manhattan Bridges, an homage to Torke’s adopted city, its diversity and multicultural richness; Joan Tower’s Still/Rapids, a reworking of her earlier meditation on water, Rapids, into a full piano concerto (Tower turns 80 in 2018); and Dorothy Chang’s delightful mini-oratorio for children’s chorus and orchestra, The Grand Erie Canal. Chang’s homage to the building of the Erie Canal, for fifth-grade chorus and orchestra, grew out of an extensive arts-in-education school program she created as part of an Albany Symphony residency.

About The Albany Symphony:

The Albany Symphony is one of this region’s most revered music and cultural institutions, having won numerous national awards for its adventurous concert programming, recording projects, composer residencies, and innovative educational efforts involving area schools. 

The Albany Symphony’s season, which spans nine months from October through June, features timeless masterpieces, brilliant soloists, thrilling new compositions, and holiday and family programming. The trailblazing American Music Festival caps each season with a full week of dynamic new works by some of today’s best composers. As the only professional orchestra based in the Capital Region, the Albany Symphony enriches a broad and diverse community and engages more than 150,000 people each year throughout the area.

For more information, visit albanysymphony.com.

About David Alan Miller:

Grammy® Award-winning conductor David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras.

A native of Los Angeles, David Alan Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School. Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. From 1982 to 1988, he was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, earning considerable acclaim for his work with that ensemble. Mr. Miller lives with his wife and three children in Slingerlands, New York.

About The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy. Under the leadership of Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation’s busiest performing arts facility attract audiences and visitors totaling 3 million people annually; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more.

Opening its doors on September 8, 1971, the Center presents the greatest performances of music, dance, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center’s achievements as a commissioner, producer, and nurturer of developing artists have resulted in more than 300 theatrical productions and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works.

Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the Center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies; age-appropriate performances and events for young people; career development for young actors, dancers, singers, and instrumentalists; and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists, and school administrators. These programs have become models for communities across the country. The Center’s Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program works with selected local school districts and seeks to provide a comprehensive arts education to children K-8. The Center also has been at the forefront of making the performing arts accessible to persons with disabilities, highlighted by the work accomplished with its affiliate, VSA.

As part of the Kennedy Center’s Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, the Center stages more than 400 free performances of music, dance, and theater by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center’s main stages, and every evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. The Rubenstein Arts Access Program expands the Center’s efforts to make the arts accessible to children, young adults, and to people who have little or limited ability to attend and enjoy the performing arts, enabling audiences to engage in more ways, at more times, and in more places than ever before.

About Washington Performing Arts

Since 1965, Washington Performing Arts has had a foundational role in the arts in our nation’s capital, creating profound opportunities that connect community and artists, in both education and performance. Through live events in nine venues that span the D.C. metropolitan area, the careers of emerging artists are launched and nurtured, and established artists return to develop closer relationships with Washington Performing Arts audiences and creative partners.

As one of the leading presenters in the nation, Washington Performing Arts embraces a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including classical music, jazz, gospel, contemporary dance and music, international music and art forms, and new work.  Dynamic education programs in the public schools and beyond are hallmarks of Washington Performing Arts, as are the Embassy Adoption Program and two resident gospel choirs.

Washington Performing Arts has been honored for its work at the intersection of arts presenting and education. The organization has received Mayor's Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education (2015) and Excellence in Service to the Arts (2012) and was honored by President Barack Obama with a 2012 National Medal of Arts (becoming only the fourth D.C.-based arts group and the first arts presenter of its kind to be so honored).

Funding Credits

Generous support of SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras is provided through a matching grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support is provided by Daniel R. Lewis.

SHIFT Collaborators

SHIFT is presented in cooperation with the League of American Orchestras.

Social Media

Use #SHIFTmusic for social media related to SHIFT.

For media inquiries, contact:

Justin Cook

Albany Symphony

Marketing & Patron Services Manager

JustinC@AlbanySymphony.com

(518) 465-4755 x141

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Composer To Center Stage

Composer to Center Stage Reading Session

June 9, 2015 at 7:30PM // EMPAC
David Alan Miller, Conductor

Discover the next generation of your composers as Kai-Young Chan, Matthew Browne, and Liliya Ugay, three of the best young composers, have new works read for the first time by David Alan Miller and the entire Albany Symphony.  

As part of the Composer To Center Stage Reading Session, David Alan Miller and the orchestra will spend 40 minutes rehearsing, then reading through each of the three composers pieces. At the end of the evening, the audience is invited onstage for a fascinating discussion about each piece, while the composers receive valuable feedback from some of the biggest names in orchestral music today.

2016 Composer To Center Stage National Winners

Kai-Young Chan Seeking, Searching

Seeking, Searching is inspired by the lyric poem Sheng Sheng Man by Song Dynasty Chinese poet Li Ching-Chao (1084–1155). The melodic materials are crafted in way so that the lyrics could be sung with Cantonese, a Chinese language with much resemblance to the language of the time during which the poem was composed.

The music unfolds rhapsodically and follows the form of the poem, with two main sections. The opening motif is reiterated in changing harmonic and textural contexts as a binding force. The emotional charge is gradually built up and released according to the text and paintings of bird songs, rain, and flying remnant petals can be heard through the music, finally arriving at the most emotionally-intense section filled with chromaticism brought about by heterophonic counterpoint, typical in folk Chinese music, expressing the aching melancholy of the vain of searching for a lost loved one.

Seeking, Searching, Poem by Li Ching-Chao; Translation by the composer

Instrumentation & Timing: Approximately 8 minutes

1 piccolo, 1 flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, crotales, glockenspiel, vibraphone, tubular bells, bass drum), piano, harp, strings

Matthew Browne: Farthest South

This piece is one of a planned series of tone poems titled Cabinet of Curiosities, inspired by fantastical tales of curious natural specimens, archeological artifacts, and unique artworks that may or may not have any basis in reality.

The term farthest south refers to the most southerly latitudes reached by explorers during the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic Exploration prior to the conquest of the South Pole in 1911. Ernest Shackleton’s “Nimrod Expedition” of 1907-09 reached a latitude of 88° 23' S. This was, by far, the farthest south reached at that time. What is largely unknown about this expedition, however, is the unusual encounter made by Shackleton and his company. While traversing atop Beardmore Glacier, a monumental discovery by the Nimrod Expedition (which sits at approximately 83° S, farthest south at that time), they came into view of an awesome sight; an expansive and glorious field of curious glass structures, between four and fifteen feet in height. They were immaculate, crystalline, impeccably smooth, and laid out with meticulous and symmetrical coordination, reminiscent of the quiet solemnity of a cemetery. When the sunlight rose above the surrounding mountain ranges and hit these fantastic monuments, a brilliant diffusive gleam of light filled the glacial valley, and illuminated everything it touched with the brightest white light imaginable. Even more curious is that the arduous Antarctic weather seemed to have no erosive effect on the cleanliness of these structures, and that analysis shows that they have been sitting like this, unblemished, for the past 4,000 years. It is still unknown who built or arranged them.

It seems that a change is needed in the farthest south record book.

Farthest South Instrumentation & Timing Approximately: 8 minutes

1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 3 clarinets in Bb (3rd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassons, 1 contrabassoon, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion (marimba, crotales, glass wind chimes, cymbal, tam-tam, vibraphone, bass drum), harp, celesta, strings

Liliya Ugay: Oblivion

It has been almost six years since I left my home (in Uzbekistan) for the life full of professional opportunities in the United States. It has been already almost four years since the last time I visited home. In Fall of 2015 I learnt that my next visit home is currently impossible to foresee because of big risk of not being able to return to the U.S., since my country’s laws has recently changed. This situation adds towards my feelings of the desperate longing and nostalgia towards certain people, places and memories, which sometimes evokes in me such painful sentiments that I often have to suppress them. In my Oblivion I “take the road back in time” until it brings me to the dearest memory, thinking of which I cannot bear and, therefore, attempt to destroy. This memory resembles as the only “true melody” in this piece (unlike the themes that were derived as a result of pitch permutations), which appears in prominent flute solo near the last section of the piece; the melody is a fragment from the solo flute piece I composed long time ago as a child. Everything that precedes it contributes to the idea of the approaching, the imminence, which I expressed through applying different compositional techniques on the same four-pitch motive. This creates a kaleidoscope of various small musical ideas, which I use for shaping my piece into the musical narrative to provoke a strong emotional response from the listener.

Oblivion Instrumentation and Timing: Approximately 10 minutes

2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat (2nd doubles on E-flat), 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets in B-flat, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion (tubular bells, maracas, cymbal, vibraphone, glockenspiel, bass drum, tam-tam), piano/celeste, harp, strings