FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Sara Kleinsasser Tan, General Manager
Bloomington Symphony Orchestra
Phone: 952-563-8573
E-mail: info@bloomingtonsymphony.org
Website: https://www.bloomingtonsymphony.org

BLOOMINGTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS “EXPERIENCE THE RING” ON OCTOBER 9

Bloomington, Minnesota – September 21, 2016 — The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will present the first concert of the 2016-17 season, called “Experience the Ring,” on Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m. at the Kennedy High School Auditorium (9701 Nicollet Ave S.) in Bloomington.

The program includes pieces from each of Richard Wagner’s four Ring Cycle operas, performed by orchestra alone and featuring a cast of ten singers and a narrator. Featured pieces include Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold, Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre, Forest Murmurs and The Forging of the Sword, both from Siegfried, and Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung.

The cast includes local singers Sofia Ardalan, Lisa Drew, Debra Gilroy, Mary Laymon, Colleen Meier, Megan Wagner, Lola Watson, Karen Wilkerson, and Amy Wolf as the Valkyries. Chicago-based tenor Jerrad Fenske will perform as Siegfried. Former Metropolitan Opera soprano Audrey Stottler will narrate the concert, tying all of the pieces of the Ring Cycle together for the audience.

Music Director and Conductor Manny Laureano says of the program, “Set your imagination to work as the BSO, a cast of singers, and former Metropolitan Opera soprano Audrey Stottler reveal the beauty and power of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle through a set of excerpts and spoken narrative. Giants, mythical gods, heroes and heroines, villains, dragons, a magical sword, and a lump of coveted gold provide the story where deceit is overcome by an ultimate act of love and redemption, all set to some of the greatest music of the 19th century.”

Manny Laureano was named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in April 2013. Laureano is a gifted conductor, having served as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra in 2005-06 and conducting the Minnesota All-State Orchestra in 2008-09. In recent years he has appeared regularly as a guest conductor at Indiana University, as well as at the Eastern Music Festival, St. Olaf College and Bethel University. He is in demand as a guest conductor of community orchestras all over the Twin Cities. In addition to this work, Laureano and his wife Claudette have served as Co-Artistic Directors of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies since 1988.

Season and single tickets for the BSO’s concerts are available in advance online, by phone or in person. Phone: 952-563-8575. Online: https://www.bloomingtonsymphony.org. In person: Bloomington Box Office – 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington. Season tickets are $48 for adults, $40 for seniors, advance purchase required. Single tickets are available in advance or at the door: $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and free for students with an ID.

For information or to request high-resolution photographs of Manny Laureano, the cast of singers or the BSO, contact: info@bloomingtonsymphony.org

Website: https://www.bloomingtonsymphony.org
Phone: 952-563-8573

The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1963. Today the BSO is made up of talented professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians who are selected through a highly competitive audition process. The BSO performs major symphony works at accessible church, school and park locations in the south and southwest Twin Cities metropolitan area.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

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