March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 50 F

Annapolis Symphony Announces 2012-13 Season

Beethoven in 1814

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is pleased to announce its 2012-2013 concert season.  Under the continued artistic leadership of Music Director José-Luis Novo, the season will feature the Lexus Classic Series, a combination of five classical concerts, as well as a Holiday Pops concert, a Family concert and a free summer Pops In The Park concert.  All concerts are performed at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, MD with the exception of the Pops in the Park concert which is held at Quiet Waters Park amphitheater, also in Annapolis.

 

Continuing in her role as Music Alive Composer-In-Residence is Latin Grammy Award winner, Gabriela Lena Frank.  Frank’s residency includes the composition of the ASO’s 50th Anniversary concerto which was world premiered during the 2011-2012 season as well as a new commission to be performed by the ASO this season.  Throughout the 2012-2013 season, Frank will continue to work on arrangements with the orchestra as well as be deeply integrated in the Annapolis community through multiple educational engagements and partnerships with local schools, music programs, retirement communities and organizations.

 

ASO concertgoers can purchase a variety of ticket packages from a full Lexus Classic Series (five classic concerts) or flex passes of  three or four-concert packages.  Special student rates are also available, and first-time subscribers enjoy a 50% discount on Lexus Classic Series subscriptions.

 

As the premiere performing arts organization in Anne Arundel County, the ASO’s orchestra members include some of the finest musicians throughout Maryland and the mid-Atlantic, and regularly features internationally acclaimed guest artists.

 

2012 LEXUS POPS IN THE PARK CONCERT AT QUIET WATERS PARK- FREE CONCERT

 

One of the most popular concerts offered each year by the ASO, the Lexus Pops in the Park concert, will return on Labor Day Weekend.  The concert will be presented free of charge on Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 5:30 pm at the Quiet Waters Park amphitheater.  A rain date is scheduled for September 3, 2012 at 5:30 pm.  This family-friendly concert is perfect for all ages and features pops favorites and light classics.  Food concessions will be available at the park.  Concertgoers are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and a picnic meal or snacks.

 

 

 

2012-2013 LEXUS CLASSIC SERIES

 

September 28 and 29, 2012 at 8:00 PM

 

The season opens at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts with British pianist Michael Roll performing with the ASO.  Mr. Roll made his concerto debut with the City of Birmingham Orchestra at the age of ten and his Royal Festival Hall debut at twelve, playing the Schumann Concerto with Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting. His success at the first Leeds International Piano Competition in 1963, where he won first prize at the age of 17, led to the start of a career which has taken him all over the world, appearing with such conductors as Barbirolli, Boulez, Giulini, Gergiev, Haitink, Leinsdorf, Masur, Previn, Sanderling and Sawallisch. The concerts will feature John Mackey’s Redline TangoLudwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Suite.

 

November 2 and 3, 2012 8 PM

 

Performing in November with the ASO will be Northern Virginia native and Peabody Conservatory graduate, cellist Zuill Bailey.  A consummate concerto soloist, Mr. Bailey has been featured with many symphony orchestras including: Chicago, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Dallas, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Toronto, Minnesota, and Israel.  Mr. Bailey recently recorded the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.  The concerts will feature Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 88, Gabriela Frank’s Requiem for a Magical America:  El Día de los Muertosand Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.

 

March 1 and 2, 2013 at 8:00 PM

 

Acclaimed soprano Jessica Rivera will perform with the ASO in March.  Possessing a voice praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for its “effortless precision and tonal luster,” Jessica Rivera is established as one of the most creatively inspired vocal artists before the public today.  The concerts will feature Witold Lutosławski’s Mala Suita (Little Suite)Gabriela Frank’s La Centinela y la Paloma (The Keeper and the Dove) and Robert Schumann’sSymphony No. 2.

 

April 5 and 6, 2013 at 8:00 PM

 

The ASO will be joined by internationally renowned Italian violinist Markus Placci for its April concerts. Young Italian violinist Markus Placci is enjoying a growing international reputation that has already brought him solo appearances throughout Europe and the United States.  Since his solo debut at age 13 with the Bologna Symphony, Mr. Placci has appeared in solo performances with major symphony orchestras and has recently been appointed as Violin Faculty at The Boston Conservatory.  The concerts will feature Francis Poulenc’s Les Biches (The Does), SuitePablo de Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, and Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka.

 

May 10 and 11, 2013 at 8:00 PM

 

Guest pianist Cornelia Herrmann will perform with the ASO for its May concerts.  Described by Andràs Schiff as “unusually musical and sensitive – qualities that are rather rare in our musical times,” Ms. Herrmann is a frequent soloist and chamber musician all over the world.  The evenings’ repertoire will include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.

 

ASO HOLIDAY POPS AND FAMILY CONCERTS

 

Other much loved concerts are the ASO Holiday Pops concert to be performed on December 14, 2012 and the ASO’s Family Concert on February 9, 2013.

 

The Holiday Pops concert on Friday December 14, 2012, Swingin’ Season’s Greetings, will feature singer, pianist, and songwriter Tony DeSare performing holiday favorites with the ASO.  DeSare, who’s third CD Radio Show was released by Telarc Records earlier this year – was named a “Rising Star” Male Vocalist in the 2009 Downbeat Critics Poll.  He has won critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong.  Shortly after moving to New York City in 1999, Tony was cast as the star of the long running Off-Broadway musical smash, Our Sinatra, in which he was praised by Variety for his “dapper charm.”

 

On Saturday, February 9, 2013, the ASO’s Family Concert Carnival of the Animals with the Bob Brown Puppets and the ASO will be presented.  This concert features the music of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals andAaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.  The Performances are at 2:00 and 3:30 pm at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.  Family concerts are designed for the entire family to enjoy the thrill of live, professionally performed symphonic music paired with the comedic entertainment of puppeteers and a compelling story line.  Bob Brown Puppets have been a major children’s theater company for the past fifty years, offering the finest in children’s education and entertainment and performing to over 300,000 children a year.  Families are encouraged to attend “Meet the Musicians” sessions at 1:15 or 4:30 pm and learn about the different instruments.  Recommended for ages 4 and up.

 

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

 

The ASO continues to offer its free Bank of America Pre-Concert Lectures by lecturer Dr. Rachel Franklin at 6:45 pm prior to all Lexus Classic Series concerts.  Each lecture features a unique inside look at the repertoire to be performed at that evening’s concert.  In addition, children and families may “Meet the Musicians” at 1:15 and 4:30 pm on the day of Family Concerts.  The ASO’s education and outreach programs—including the ASO Music Van, Adopt-A-School program, Educational Concerts, and more—also continue throughout the season.  The ASO will also conduct special performances and guest speaking engagements with local organization, schools and area retirement communities.

 

MAESTRO JOSÉ-LUIS NOVO

 

José-Luis Novo continues to instill a new artistic vision and leaves his personal imprint with the ASO and its audience.  A continuous drive for artistic excellence, innovative thematic programming, and collaborations with some of today’s most respected guest artists, have resulted in unprecedented artistic growth, enthusiastic reviews and a general sense of excitement.  Some of the ASO’s highlights during Maestro Novo’s tenure include a 2006 debut concert appearance at Strathmore Hall, a performance by world-renowned mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, a 2008 ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award, and the launching of the ASO’s first professionally produced CD commemorating the 300th anniversary of the signing of Annapolis’ Royal Charter.  The successful partnership between Mr. Novo and the ASO has received consistent critical acclaim.

 

 

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