Virginia Symphony Orchestra- Norfolk
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta, music director of Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
“I think our season is eclectic in the most dramatic way,” says music director and conductor JoAnn Falletta. “We have a little something for everyone. We have a colorful, audience-friendly collection of pieces.”
The eight-concert Classic Series features several performers who will be appearing with the orchestra for the first time, including pianist Jon Kimura Parker, an Officer of The Order of Canada and Gold Medal Laureate of the Leeds International Piano Competition; 24-year-old violinist Chloë Hanslip, who made her United States concerto début in 2003; and clarinetist Robert Plane, whose career encompasses solo and chamber work. The opening concert, “Pictures at an Exhibition,” explores the relationship between music and art. The orchestra will bring in community partners from the arts for pre-concert lectures that focus on the connection between arts and music. “We haven’t had that before,” Falletta says, explaining that the series will highlight new composers to the orchestra as well as different types of music.
One of the most anticipated concerts is the orchestra’s Italian-themed “Pines of Rome.” “It will be fun,” Falletta says. “We will have brass playing from the balcony. There will be dramatic surround sound. It harkens back to ancient Rome.”
The season also includes one of the Orchestra’s most popular shows, Handel’s “Messiah,” and Mozart’s “Requiem” with the Virginia Symphony Chorus. “We are delighted to feature them,” Falletta says.
The orchestra offers a full series of concerts in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg. “We are one of the few orchestras in the country that has so many homes,” Falletta says. “It’s great. It gives us a wide audience base.” VirginiaSymphony.org
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Virginia Symphony Orchestra (Norfolk)
