2011-2012 Season
Higdon and Tchaikovsky
Saturday, October 15, 2011 - 7:30 p.m.
Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for her Violin Concerto, Jennifer Higdon has created a Percussion Concerto that elicits standing ovations wherever it is performed! It is "full of joyous music making, a wondrous world of sounds and colors, thrilling in its epic sections and mesmerizing in intimate moments." (News and Observer) Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is one of his most powerful statements in this form, and Copland's historic Fanfare rounds out the program.
Chamber Concert One
Saturday, October 29, 2011 - 7:30 p.m.
The amazing talents of our orchestra members are on display when they come together in chamber ensembles. Hear some of the great works of the chamber literature up close in a beautiful, intimate setting. These concerts are FREE and no seat reservation is required. (Donations to support the series are gladly accepted.)
Final Words
Saturday, December 3, 2011 - 7:30 p.m.
Two very different Romantic masters share their last musical thoughts on this program. The other movements of Mahler's Tenth Symphony may have been left incomplete at his death, but the symphony's powerful first movement stands alone as a profound final utterance. The Heritage Signature Chorale under the direction of Stanley Thurston joins the orchestra for Verdi's last completed work: the "Stabat Mater" from Four Sacred Pieces. As champions of African-American composers, the Chorale also brings special insight and passion to an uplifting cantata by Adolphus Hailstork.
American Inspirations
Saturday, February 4, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Inspired by his travels in America, Dvořák's Cello Concerto caused Brahms to exclaim, "If I had known it was possible to compose such a concerto for the cello, I would have tried it myself!" Copland’s "Ballet for Martha" Graham remains one of the most famous and moving works in American music. The program begins with the winning work from the American Composer Competition, selected from over 100 entries from composers across the country.
FREE ADMISSION for Active Duty Military!
Young People's Concert
Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 12:30 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
The Kinetics Dance Theatre joins us for Saint-Saëns enduring classic, Carnival of the Animals. Students will love this exploration of the orchestra and can try their hand at playing many of the instruments at our Musical Instrument Petting Zoo from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Sponsored by Music & Arts. [photos courtesy of Bruce Boyajian and Kitty R Photography]
Symphonic Pops
Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Cap off your St. Patrick's Day celebrations in a concert with great Irish music including Lord of the Dance with the Teelin Irish Dance Company. Hits by Andrew Lloyd Webber, film music from Jurassic Park and Somewhere In Time, and classical favorites round out this musical evening to remember!
Chamber Concert Two
Saturday, March 31, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
The amazing talents of our orchestra members are on display when they come together in chamber ensembles. Hear some of the great works of the chamber literature up close in a beautiful, intimate setting. These concerts are FREE and no seat reservation is required. (Donations to support the series are gladly accepted.)
Chamber Concert Three: Columbia Orchestra Piano Trio
Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Join the Columbia Orchestra Piano Trio - Brenda Anna, violin, Nancy Smith, piano, and Jason Love, cello - for a marvelous program including the virtuosic Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia, a richly romantic piano trio by Armenian composer Arno Babajanian, and Dvorak's marvelous Piano Quintet in A Major with guests Robin Strempek and Paul Li.
These concerts are FREE and no seat reservation is required. (Donations to support the series are gladly accepted.)
Orchestral Fireworks
Saturday, June 2, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
The orchestra bursts out in dazzling colors for this virtuosic, family-friendly event. Classics by Beethoven and Rimsky-Korsakov are paired alongside thrilling new works by Zhou Tian and Arturo Márquez, and the astonishing talents of our Young Artist Competition winners help bring the season to a powerful close.
Events and performers are subject to change.
