Symphony NH Announces 2017-18 Season: The Year of Beethoven

It's all about the Beethoven.

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Act of Congress
Act of Congress.

NASHUA, NH – Symphony NH announces its 2017-18 season: The Year of Beethoven, to include Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Grammy Award Winning Soprano Christine Brewer, Holiday Pops with Americana band Act of Congress, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, and, of course, Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony.  

The season begins on October 6, 7 and 10 with Dvořák New World in partnership with the University of New Hampshire Celebrity Series featuring New Hampshire composer Amy Beach.  Born in 1867 in Henniker, Beach was a star pianist and composer, expanding the role of American art, music, and performers, all frequently outshone by European, male counterparts.  Symphony NH will perform Dvořák’s New World Symphony along with Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and Beach’s Gaelic Symphony on Friday, October 6 at 8 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium in Concord, Saturday, October 7 at 8 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts in Nashua, and Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. at the Paul Arts Center at University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Christine Brewer
Christine Brewer

A tradition of many seasons, Symphony NH once again honors veterans at the November concert Copland and Barber, featuring all American composers, Grammy Award Winning American Soprano Christine Brewer, and free tickets for veterans, thanks to generous support from BAE Systems.  Brewer will perform Barber’s dreamy Knoxville: Summer 1915 on a program including Copland’s Appalachian Spring on Saturday, November 11th at 8 pm at Keefe Center for the Arts.

Symphony NH Music Director and Conductor Jonathan McPhee created this American program featuring Diamond, Dello Joio, Barber, and Copland, saying, “all of these composers had connections to the great American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, who I worked closely with – along with Aaron Copland – in my first years with the Martha Graham Dance Company. I am particularly pleased to present the original ballet score to Graham’s ballet, Appalachian Spring.

This season offers a new take on Holiday Pops. What NPR calls, “one of the freshest sounding, exuberant bands in all of the known acoustic universe,” Americana band Act of Congress joins Symphony NH to perform holiday favorites on Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts and on Sunday, December 10 at 3 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium.

Kelly Hall Tompkins 2
Kelly Hall-Tompkins

Beethoven returns on Saturday, January 27 at 8 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts with Beethoven and Stravinsky, featuring violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Described by The New York Times as, “the versatile violinist who makes the music come alive,” Kelly Hall-Tompkins performs on a concert including Stravinsky’s Danse concertantes and Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony.

Symphony NH will perform Mozart and Bach on Friday, March 16, 2018 at 8 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium and Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 8 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts. This program features what McPhee describes as, “gems of a more intimate nature,” including Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 – lacking a descriptive name like some of his other symphonies, but no less familiar – Britten’s Sinfonietta, and Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge for the finale.

Symphony NH concludes the year of Beethoven with none other than Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. McPhee paired this monumental work with Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, also for orchestra and chorus. Both pieces celebrate the human spirit, transformation, and redemption, with the full force of hundreds of instruments and voices coming together on a single stage.

downloadWhether you enjoy a festive evening singing along to your favorite holiday tunes or delving into a piece of music to listen in new ways, Symphony NH’s 2017-18 season has music for everyone. Season subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale, with new subscriptions this season including a FlexPass for music lovers with busy schedules and a Student Pass. Single tickets are $18 to $49, with discounts for seniors 62 and older. Student tickets are $10 and tickets for younger audience members ages 15 and under are always free.

For concert and ticket information visit www.symphonynh.org, call (603) 595-9156, or stop by the Symphony NH office located in the Court Street Theater Building at 6 Church Street in Nashua.

Symphony NH’s 2017-18 season is made possible thanks to generous support from BAE Systems, RBC Wealth Management, Bellwether Community Credit Union, Audi of Nashua, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, and New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

 

 

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!