Monday, March 9, 2009

Symphony announces new season

The San Antonio Symphony has announced its 2009-2010 season - the Symphony's 70th anniversary. Opening the season is a special, one-night-only performance of Carmina Burana, Saturday, September 19. The Symphony also features violinist Gil Shaham performing Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto.
Christopher Seaman will continue as the San Antonio Symphony's Artistic Advisor for the 2009-2010 season. Single tickets go on sale in August.
The San Antonio Symphony subscription series consists of 28 Classics and 12 Pops concert performances; Educational concerts include 24 Young People's Concert performances, a week-long St. Philip's College Residency program, a Side-by-Side with Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, four Interactive Family Concerts and numerous Community Engagement and Neighborhood Concerts.
"Developing this Symphony season took a great deal of balance, as we wanted to give conductors an opportunity to showcase their best talents to the community, while also providing the same story-telling, entertainment and emotional retreat experience audiences have come to enjoy in our classical performances," explained Maestro Seaman. "The selected pieces are a great equalizer in that we are showcasing the orchestra and the conductors' depth while reminding audiences why classical music is fun and transformative."
The 2009-2010 Classics Series includes Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and many others. Guest soloists include soprano Dawn Upshaw, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, guitarist Manual Barrueco, bassoonist Sharon Kuster and concertmaster Ertan Torgul.
"The 2008-2009 season kicked off our music director search and created a unique opportunity for the community to enjoy many exciting new conductors," said Jack Fishman, Symphony President/CEO. "We are delighted to bring many of them back and showcase new candidates this season as we move closer to finding the next San Antonio Symphony music director."
The Symphony will continue its Interactive Family Classics Series, which encourages children and their parents to "get up close and personal" with musical instruments during pre-concert activities and a condensed, hour-long concert. Audience members meet the conductor and symphony musicians before each concert to discover the joys and challenges of conducting and playing live, orchestral music. The Symphony will perform four Sunday afternoon concerts for families at Trinity University's Laurie Auditorium again next season. The Young People's Concert Series, which aims to inspire, educate, and entertain young people through the performance of live symphonic music, will encompass four weeks of concerts and twenty-four performances at Laurie Auditorium as well.
"Education is a key component of every symphony season, and we are excited to see opportunities grow for students in San Antonio and the surrounding communities to experience classical music and learn the joys of playing a musical instrument," Fishman said. "They are our future community leaders and music lovers."
Listen for the 2008-2009 season later this summer on KPAC and KTXI!

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