'Music of the Heart' will set your mood for Valentine's Day
You’ll enjoy a romantic prelude to Valentine’s Day when we present a repertoire of impassioned pieces for our “Music of the Heart” concert Feb. 11 at Three Stages in Folsom.
Maestro Michael Neumann will lead the orchestra through eleven of classical music’s most moving compositions, ranging from the symphonic rendition of Romeo and Juliet’s ill-fated love to the modern “Love Story” theme of commitment and joy and a light-hearted journey along a Bohemian river.
Three soloists perform for this concert: guest pianist Natsuki Fukasawa and symphony members violinist and concertmaster Anita Felix and oboist Curtis Kidwell. The symphony also will dedicate a selection to the memory of our cellist Alexander Ashton, who died Dec. 15 at the age of 27.
'Glorious Beethoven' March 24-25: His magnificent Ninth Symphony
You’ll have a chance to enjoy a true classical music masterpiece when the orchestra, joined by the Sacramento Master Singers, presents its “Glorious Beethoven” concert March 24 and 25.
The power of this music is made even more extraordinary by the fact that Beethoven was completely deaf when he wrote it. At the premiere in Vienna in 1824, an era when multiple standing ovations were properly reserved for royalty, the audience rose five times in long, thunderous applause. The 54-year-old Beethoven, unable to hear, had to be turned toward the crowd to see the clapping.
With its complex music and the addition of the chorale, this symphony is the most artistically demanding work our orchestra has ever undertaken. The concert will feature 70 symphony musicians and 80 singers, including four soloists.
Folsom Symphony conductor Maestro Michael Neumann will lead the ensemble through the symphony’s four movements, in which Beethoven imposed his own variations on the standard composition form of the time, sometimes to contemporary criticism. It is the fourth movement that contains the famous choral finale, sung by the Master Singers. Some music writers have characterized this last movement as a “symphony within a symphony” composed of four movements of its own.
Maestro Neumann will stay as conductor at least four more years
The board of directors is extremely pleased to announce that Michael Neumann will continue as our conductor and music director at least through 2015. The board and Neumann agreed to a four-year contract in December that includes an option to renew for three additional years.
“We have been so fortunate to have a conductor of Michael’s caliber since the inception of this symphony,” said board president and symphony co-founder Bruce Woodbury. “Michael is the key reason we have been able to attract the quality musicians who play for us.”
Maestro Neumann has been the symphony’s only conductor, leading every performance since the inaugural symphony in 2004. He is also the music director for the Sacramento Youth Symphony and often invites exceptional students to join the orchestra for individual performances. In addition to conducting, he plans the repertoire and selects the soloists. Most performances feature at least one soloist.
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