July 7, 2023

What a pleasure it was to again make music as a guest with my long-time friends and colleagues of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. At Music Director Rossen Millenov’s request, we took on one of Florence Price’s Symphonies for this program. Of the three extant, I chose the first of her symphonies thinking it would be a good introduction to her work for the CHQ audience. The attention the work has garnered recently as a result of a Grammy nod to a recording of the work by the Philadelphia Orchestra strengthened the case. (As an aside, CSO percussionist Tom Blanchard played on that recording with Philly...congrats Tom!)
 
The players of the CSO made a strong case for this beautiful and inspired music and the audience clearly enjoyed it. One has to imagine, had Ms. Price not faced the immense obstacles in her path of being a woman composer of color in the early 20th century, what else might she have achieved as such a gifted and inspired artist?
 
We also played Stravinsky's Firebird 1919 on this, and the orchestra was electrifying. What a joy to be a part of that! Thank you my dear friends for such a beautiful evening.
 
I’m back to the Music School Festival Orchestra next for a program of Shostakovich, Hindemith and Dvorak featuring former MSFO member Julimar Gonzalez as violin soloist and CHQ’s 2023 Conducting Fellow, Ryo Hasegawa conducting Dvorak.
 
NEXT UP
 
Chautauqua Institution
Music School Festival Orchestra
July 10, 2023 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
 
Julimar Gonzalez, violin
Ryo Hasegawa, conductor*
 
 
SHOSTAKOVICH          Violin Concerto No. 1
DVORAK                      Carnival Overture *
HINDEMITH                 Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber