BVSO PRESENTS “MOZART FOR MARCH” ON THE 24TH!
Provided by | Nika Hancock,
Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra
March 5, 2019 College Station, TX—The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra™ continues the 37th season reaching to “New Heights” in the 2018-2019 subscription series. On March 24th in Rudder Auditorium, Music Director Marcelo Bussiki invites you to an evening of Mozart and more featuring five soloists, as well as the Brazos Valley Chorale and Blinn College Choir. Along with the world-class BVSO™ musicians, March brings concertgoers a double dose of Mozart, presenting two works from the classical composer: Mozart’s Oboe Concerto and the spellbinding Requiem. We are proud to once again partner with CHI St. Joseph Health as the official sponsor for the 2018-2019 Season and The Ham Family Trust as the concert sponsor for this large-scale production.
What: “Mozart for March”
When: Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 5:00 PM
Where: Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M University Campus in College Station
Program:
McNair Meditation on Mercy
Mozart Oboe Concerto, K. 314, C major
Mozart Requiem, K. 626, D minor
Guest Artists Rebecca Fairweather-Haskins, oboe
Soo Yeon Kim, soprano Jennifer Lane, contralto Randall Umstead, tenor Hector Vasquez, baritone
Brazos Valley Chorale and Blinn College Choir
Concert Sponsor The Ham Family Trust
“I wanted to feature one of our outstanding musicians, our principal oboist Rebecca Fairweather- Haskins on Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, which is one of the best known and most important concertos in the oboe repertoire, “ said Bussiki. “That work has an expressive and melodic nature that is very pleasing to most audiences. It is one of the finest examples of Mozart’s skill in writing beautiful, expressive and joyful melodies,” he added.
This performance will also feature a contemporary composition called “Meditation on Mercy” from American composer, Jonathan McNair is inspired by the Mozart Requiem. McNair composed another piece of music that the BVSO recently performed with the Marian Anderson String Quartet which was very well received in 2016 entitled “Follow the Drinking Gourd.”
Bussiki explained, “Meditation on Mercy sets the mood, so to speak, for the Requiem in the second half of the concert. It is based on two chant melodies, one is the melody of a Kyrie eleison, and the second is Asperges me. Both of them are in the spirit of praying for mercy which is the pervasive theme of Mozart’s Requiem.”
The mesmerizing Requiem will then encompass the second half of the performance. Bussiki shared, “The vocal soloists for Mozart’s Requiem were intentionally selected to showcase the outstanding accomplished vocal faculty from colleges and universities in Texas. Our Soprano, Soo Yeon Kim comes from the Brenham campus of Blinn College; our contralto, Jennifer Lane, is a faculty member at the University of North Texas; tenor Randall Umstead teaches at Baylor University, and our bass, Hector Vasquez hails from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. We have so much talent in this state that I thought it would be exciting to spotlight these outstanding faculty that also maintain active careers as performers.”
BVSO™ patrons can also enjoy free pre-concert talks one hour prior to each subscription performance in the Rudder Theatre Complex. Ann Thompson will again present her delightful and witty insights into the composers, the history, and meaning behind the music. Then after the first four subscription concerts, a patron social hour with the Maestro at Napa Flats will keep the enjoyment going to top off an exquisite evening of music and entertainment.
“Our theme for this year is ‘New Heights’ due to our season featuring programs that are truly taking the BVSO™ to new levels of live performance,” according to Koeninger. “Each and every concert has exciting elements that audiences will love: this concert will have the incomparable Mozart, a modern take on Mozart’s works, five great soloists, and a grand-scale production with fantastic choirs on stage that will take your breath away! Purchase your individual tickets now—you get the best prices in advance.”
Individual tickets to all concerts are available through the MSC Box Office. Call (979) 845-1234 or go on-line to either bvso.org or boxoffice.tamu.edu. Single advance tickets for Mozart for March are $45 for adults/$16 for college students and younger. At-door prices are slightly higher and we encourage patrons to purchase in advance. All programs are subject to change. Please contact the Symphony Office at 979-696-6100 with any further questions.
About the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra: The BVSO™ is a non-profit performing arts organization with the mission to maintain a symphony of high artistic standards, and to promote the musical arts for cultural and education purposes in the Brazos Valley. For more information about the Symphony’s 2018-2019 Season, please visit the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra Web site at www.bvso.org.
