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

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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“In the Spanish Style” Concert Preview No. 3

Before each concert, we share “Manny’s Musings,” thoughts from our Music Director and Conductor, Manny Laureano. This is the final “Musings” that will be posted in advance of the BSO’s In the Spanish Style concert on October 11.

chabrierAlexis-Emanuel Chabrier was born in January of 1841 and died relatively young at age 53. He was, as we have seen now many times, one of those composers who went for a practical field of study only to turn toward art as his greatest form of expression. It’s not surprising to note that he was, at first, a law student whose musical training was largely self-taught (ironically, the title of one of his operas was A Deficient Education). He was also a devotee of the then-new style of Impressionism in painting even though his music didn’t particularly reflect that trend in composition. In fact, the opus we’re playing at this concert was referred to by him as “a piece in F and nothing more.”

As with many composers, it was a trip abroad that awakened his interest in the sounds, rhythms, and character of Spanish music. In 1882, he toured almost every region of Spain and the writings he left behind were an indication that he found the various musical styles irresistible. Conductor Charles Lamoureux was a champion of sorts of his music and was eager to embrace and perform Chabrier’s recently orchestrated work, España. Although the work was conceived originally as a piano duet named Jota, it was well-received at its premiere owing to its rich orchestration and infectious melodic and rhythmic content.

portrait by Valentin Serov (1898)

portrait by Valentin Serov (1898)

Finally, tonight’s concert will end with a Russian work that has become synonymous with Spanish musical styles. The Capriccio Espagnol of Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov has been thrilling audiences since its premiere in 1887 in St. Petersburg.

Though he showed aptitude for math and science as a lad he fell prey to the muses and succumbed to a lifetime in art. So much so, in fact, that after meeting other Russian composers of the day and excelling in his piano studies, he became a member of what became known as “The Five.” The Five were Russian composers who made it their business to establish a clear identity for Russian music. Thus it was somewhat ironic that Rimsky-Korsakov would become so well known for his Spanish Caprice. Yet, perhaps not so much when we remember that he was the man who wrote a book on orchestration that would become a required text for study for many composers that followed after him.

The Capriccio was first thought of as a solo work for violin and orchestra but he thought better of it and spread the wealth of his composition among the various instruments in the orchestra. It is, for all intents and purposes, a five-movement concerto for orchestra!

It begins with a lively Alborada that celebrates our daily sunrise with full percussion complement and competitive solos by the clarinet and solo violin. The lovely Variazioni that follow are a smooth showcase for the horns and voluptuous strings, ending with a wandering flute that leads us to another Alborada but a half step higher and the sound of what is mostly a wind band. The penultimate movement, Scena e canto Gitano is a suite of opportunities for soloists and complete orchestra sections to, well, show off a bit at their own pace before we end with the Fandango Asturiano and its blindingly energetic whirling dance music. The pace is dizzying and intoxicating but this is Spain… eso es asi!

Join Music Director & Conductor Manny Laureano, for the concert, “In the Spanish Style” featuring BSO Concertmaster Michael Sutton, as soloist. The concert takes place on Sunday, October 11 at 3 p.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington.

To learn more about the concert, click here. You can order tickets online through the Bloomington Box Office or by calling 952-563-8575.

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BSO 2015-16 Print Materials

If you haven’t seen a hard copy of the BSO’s 2015-16 Print Materials, please download them from this page! It contains all of the information you need to know about this year’s concerts and how to purchase tickets! (Click on the images to enlarge!)

BSO 2015-16 Mailer Front

BSO 2015-16 Mailer Back

 

BSO Fall 2015 Postcard Back

BSO Fall 2015 Postcard Front

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BSO Announces 2015-16 Concert Season

02bwThe Bloomington Symphony is thrilled to announce its 2015-16 concert season. Music Director Manny Laureano has put together a season of programs that will delight listeners young and old alike. Listeners will travel to many places through music – Spain and Italy, a trumpet player’s journey from beginner to the world of jazz clubs, the land of Lincoln and through the orchestra itself.

Featured soloists are BSO Concertmaster Michael Sutton, the Charles Lazarus Quintet, Narrators James Lileks, Yuri Ivan, Obiele Harper, Quinton Wormald, Organist Jane Horn and the winner of the Mary West Solo competition, to be announced in December. We are especially excited to play our first full orchestra concert at the Schneider Theater at the Bloomington Center for the Arts. Tickets for that concert are reserved, so please book early for the best seats.

For more information, please visit the page for each concert.

October 11, 2015 :: In the Spanish Style

November 22, 2015 :: Journeys

February 21, 2016 :: Play Me a Story

April 17, 2016 :: Music in 3D: Part Three

Tickets are available in advance through the Bloomington Box Office:

Tickets are also available at the door – Cash or check only

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“Three Singing Masters” Concert Preview No. 1

Welcome to the first edition of Manny’s Musings for the 2014-15 concert season! We are thrilled to share the thoughts of Manny Laureano, the Bloomington Symphony’s Music Director and Conductor, with our audience, in advance of our concert “Three Singing Masters” on Sunday, October 5. We will post future Musings in the days leading up to the concert. Please be sure to visit again soon and learn more about the program!

Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

RichardWagnerThose of you who are regular attendees of BSO concerts will recall that Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi was performed as part of our programming last season. It was an early work about an Italian subject. This season, the Overture to a mammoth opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, propels us forward more than two score and four years to see a middle-aged Richard Wagner who has developed his sense of chromaticism on the heels of his opera, Tristan and Isolde. He chooses for this opera a German subject that is steeped in the reality of an annual singing contest that was held in Nürnberg.

Interestingly, Wagner gives the chromaticism that mark the success and curiosity of Tristan a bit of a rest and settles into a style that is more diatonic and “listener friendly.” This was to be the opera that preceded his most illustrious work, Der Ring des Nibelungen, where his creative powers become almost a plaything for him. Die Meistersinger has, at its core, the requisite hero who wishes to win the hand of a local maiden, not through swordplay or deviousness, but through song.

The overture is a proper overture, in the sense that there are many themes that are represented in the opera, unlike Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro or even the miniature overture that begins the Nutcracker ballet. Virtually every note heard in the overture is reflected in the course of the opera either as a full-fledged theme or a more brief leit motiv, from the stately march of the masters, to the prize song offered by the hero, Walther, to a fugue based on the light-footed dances of the apprentices. The constant and smooth shifting of character in this overture and its ability to achieve transparency in the midst of presenting themes on top of themes is a testament to Wagner’s skills of orchestration.

Please join us for this concert, “Three Singing Masters,” on Sunday, October 5 at 3 p.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington. To purchase tickets in advance, please visit our online box office here. Tickets are always available at the door (cash or check only).

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2014-15 Season Brochure Preview

BSOMailerFall2014Inside_Page_1Did you see the announcement about the BSO’s 2014-15 concert season? Now you can find all of the information in one place! Click either of the images below to learn more about the program, or you can download a PDF of the brochure below.

Hard copies of the brochure will hit mailboxes late next week. You will also be able to find them at the Bloomington Center for the Arts and Bloomington libraries.

BSO Fall 2014 Mailer Outside

BSO Fall 2014 Mailer Outside

BSO Fall 2014 Brochure Inside

BSO Fall 2014 Brochure Inside

BSO 2014-15 Season Brochure

(download the PDF version by clicking on the link)

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2014-15 Concert Season Announced!

The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra

The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra

Bloomington Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manny Laureano has assembled four concerts with a variety of well-known classics and a few pieces that may be new to some in the audience. The 2014-15 concert season will feature a young soprano, a seasoned cellist and the BSO solo debut of our new concertmaster. Click on the link to learn more about each concert.

2014-15 Concerts

October 5, 2014 – Three Singing Masters: Wagner, Strauss & Mahler

November 16, 2014 – Anybody Here Speak American?: Copland, Barber & Ives

February 15, 2015 – Melodious Tchaikovsky: Three pieces by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

April 19, 2015 – Music in 3D: The Sequel: Franck, TBA & Mussorgsky/Ravel

Tickets:

Season tickets (one ticket for each concert) are available for purchase through the Bloomington Box Office (only). You can click here to order tickets online or you can call 952-563-8575 or stop by the Box Office in person  at 1800 West Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington.

Can’t make it to every concert? You can still get the discounted price by purchasing in advance, four or more tickets to any of the concerts. Season and four-ticket packages are $48 for adults and $40 for seniors.

Single tickets are available in advance or at the door for $14 for adults and $12 for seniors. Students are always free, thanks to our generous donors.

For more information about any of our concerts, please contact our General Manager, Sara Tan at info@bloomingtonsymphony.org

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A season-ending thank you!

Thank you to all who attended the final concert of our 2013-14 season. We had a wonderful time transporting you to the afterlife, performing a little-known piece about a dying swan and surrounding you with the sounds of the Pines of Rome. We hope you will join us for one – or all – of the concerts in our 2014-15 season, which we will be announcing soon.

One of the ways that you can support the Bloomington Symphony, besides attending concerts, is to join us as a donor. More information about how to donate is available on our Support page.

Please be sure to check back here in the coming months to hear the announcement of our new concertmaster, and to learn more about our upcoming season. You can also join our e-mail list by completing the form at the bottom of the page and “like” our Facebook page.

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“The Passion of Rachmaninoff” Concert Preview No. 2

This “Concert Preview” will provide background information on the pieces the BSO will perform next. Each Concert Preview is written by the BSO’s Artistic Director and Conductor, Manny Laureano. Look for the next Concert Preview on February 10.

Concerto for Violin in A Major, “The Turkish” by Wolfgang Amade Mozart

Mozart 1777Mozart - 1777Mozart - 1777Mozart ColorThe year 1775 was a productive one for the 19 year-old Joannes Chrisostumus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart, at least as far as writing violin concerti is concerned. He had written his first a few years earlier and for reasons that are still unclear wrote the flurry of four that year. After having written his first in Bb major he settled on D major twice, G major, and finally A major for this fifth and final concerto.

While this concerto is nicknamed “The Turkish” it could have gone by several names as there are many structural surprises within. First, it is unique in its first movement form. After the orchestra bursts forth with the Allegro Aperto that begins the first movement, the listener may be a bit stunned to hear the orchestra come to a halt and have the solo violin begin its entrance with a ballad-like Adagio! This daydream is over shortly and the listener is, once again, surprised to hear a theme from the solo violin that has yet to be heard unlike most concerti of the classical period which warm up your ears by having the orchestra play the theme before the soloist enters. In fact, what you hear is the accompaniment without the solo voice on top. In a way, it is reminiscent of Mozart’s overture to his opera The Marriage of Figaro which uses not a single theme from the actual opera. Imagine the audacious brilliance of having so much music in your head that you can afford to just throw themes away without the worry that you may be using up your reserve!

The other surprise is that this concerto could have just as easily been named “Symphony for Violin.” Typically, classical concerti are three movements long in a fast-slow-fast format. This one follows suit but with a twist. After the second movement Adagio we are treated to a lovely Tempo di Menuetto just as one would expect from a typical classical… symphony! As the violin dances in 3/4 time throwing in a flirtatious cadenza here and there we are, as we were in the first movement, interrupted by an unexpected Allegro this time. This Allegro is given the “Turkish” treatment. That is to say that the Austrian fascination with the exotic qualities of the Ottoman Empire reveals itself in a fast pulse and the request from Mozart to have the cellos and basses turn their bows over and strike the strings with the wood part as well as the horse hair. This percussive sound and the brusque trills from our soloist give a foot-stomping dance quality to the music. This foray into the exotic is temporary as the orchestra returns to our elegant Minuet for an ending that closes the door on our concerto as one would the door to a child’s room after having read an exciting story before being tucked into bed.

Concertmaster Rebecca CorrucciniThe Bloomington Symphony’s own concertmaster, Rebecca Corruccini (pictured, left), will be the featured soloist on this concerto. Please join us for this concert, “The Passion of Rachmaninoff,” on Sunday, February 16 at 3 p.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington. To purchase tickets in advance, please visit our online box office here. Tickets are always available at the door.

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Tickets on sale now!

Season and single tickets are onsale for the Bloomington Symphony’s 2013-14 sesaon. You may purchase tickets in advance, online through the Bloomington Box Office or by calling 952-563-8575. You can also purchase tickets by stopping by the Box Office during business hours and speaking with a customer service representative in person.

Here are direct links to each concert’s ticket sales page:

Season tickets

October 6 – Let Us Begin

November 24 – Sit Right Down and You’ll Hear the Tale

February 16 – The Passion of Rachmaninoff

April 13 – Music in 3D

Tickets are always available at the door, where we accept cash and checks only. Since we oftentimes have lines to purchase tickets on the day of the concert, we strongly encourage you to purchase your tickets in advance and skip the lines!

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