The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO), led by its new music director, Lawrence Loh, kicks off the 2017-2018 season with the music of American composers Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland on Sept. 23 in Charleston and Sept. 24 in Parkersburg.
Special guest soloist Alexandre Moutouzkine will join Loh and the WVSO in performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, a piece that strengthened Gershwin’s reputation as a composer who straddled the boundaries of popular and “serious” music.
Moutouzkine is a master on the keys. Since winning Astral Artists’ 2009 National Audition, he has won top prizes in more than 20 international competitions, including those in Naumburg, Cleveland, Montreal, Maria Canals (Barcelona) and Arthur Rubinstein (Tel-Aviv.) Other music for the opening night concerts include Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and Copland’s Symphony No. 3. The Clay Center concert is made possible by the generous support of the Capitol Conference Center, BrickStreet Insurance and Cabell Huntington Hospital.
For a deeper understanding of the music to be performed during opening night for the WVSO’s Capitol Conference Center Symphonic Series, join Loh on the Clay Center stage for Baton, Bites and Insights at noon Thursday, Sept. 21, when Loh will share stories about three of America’s greatest composers and their music.
In Charleston, a special pre-concert dinner featuring gourmet chicken, salmon with dill sauce or roasted vegetable hash also will be served in the Clay Center’s Grand Hall for $50 per person. To reserve your seat at the table, please RSVP by Sept. 13 by calling Alison Flowers at 304.957.9876 or by visiting our website at wvsymphony.org.
Tickets for the Clay Center concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, start at $12 and are available at wvsymphony.org or by calling 304.561.3570. Tickets for the Parkersburg concert, which begins at 3 p.m. at Blennerhassett School on Sept. 24, are $22 for adults or $10 for students, and are available at wvsop.org or by calling 304.485.4200.
Season tickets for the Capitol Conference Center Symphonic Series in Charleston also are still available and start at $112. For more information visit wvsymphony.org or call the Clay Center Box Office at 304.561.3570.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pops, family and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 78th season, the WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning education program.