Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, conducted by Music Director Benjamin Rous, opens its 49th season on Saturday, September 23, 7:30pm, at Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia and Sunday, September 24, 3:30pm, at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center. All Saturday night concerts now begin at 7:30pm.
Benjamin Rous, conductor
Kelly Peral, oboe
Program:
JOYCE — Side by Side (2021)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS — Concerto for Oboe and Strings in A minor (1944)
SCHUBERT — Symphony No. 8 in B minor D. 759, “Unfinished” (1822)
MUSSORGSKY — Night on Bald Mountain (1867)
Side by Side by Molly Joyce was commissioned by Carnegie Hall. With an impaired left hand resulting from a car accident, Joyce is a passionate composer and activist whose work focuses on disability as a creative resource.
Kelly Peral, the orchestra’s Principal Oboist and Lecturer in Oboe at the University of Virginia, is the soloist in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto in A minor for Oboe and Strings. In addition to being a virtuosic showpiece, the concerto evokes scenes of the pastoral English countryside for which the composer was famous.
The second half of the program opens with Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor, dubbed the “Unfinished” symphony because Schubert completed only two movements of the usual four. Benjamin Rous comments, “Opening Night includes a piece that is on both my desert island list and my bucket list. I’ve never performed Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, but I’ve always wanted to – it’s so beautiful and so deep that I will treasure it for my whole life.”
Inspired by an old Russian legend, Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky tells of nocturnal revels and a witches’ sabbath on St. John’s Eve, a major folk holiday coinciding with the summer solstice.
The orchestra’s September concerts are underwritten in part by the Vesta Lee Gordon Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Kelly Peral’s appearance is made possible by the Angus Macaulay Visiting Artist Fund. Major support has also been provided by the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
In-depth program notes by Program Annotator Laurie Shulman are posted on the orchestra’s website, www.cvillesymphony.org, two weeks prior to each Masterworks concert.
Free parking is available in the UVA Central Grounds Parking Garage, located on Emmet Street South on Saturday nights and at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center on Sunday afternoons. The Charlottesville Free Trolley stops at McCormick Road near the UVA Amphitheater, in close proximity to Old Cabell Hall. Both venues are wheelchair accessible.
Single tickets are $10-$46 for adults and $10 for students. UVA students may request one complimentary ticket in advance. Tickets may be purchased at the University of Virginia Arts Box Office, (434) 924-3376, 12:00-5:00pm, Tuesday through Friday in the lobby of the UVA Drama Building at 109 Culbreth Road, or online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu.
All University of Virginia employees (faculty and staff of all UVA departments and professional schools) are entitled to a 20% discount on tickets to individual performances. This offer does not apply to subscriptions, the December Family Holiday concerts or previously purchased tickets.
"Know before you go" Answers to frequently asked questions about Charlottesville Symphony Concerts.
All artists, programs and venues are subject to change.
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CONCERTS IN THE 2023-2024 CHARLOTTESVILLE SYMPHONY SEASON
SCHUBERT'S UNFINISHED SYMPHONY
Saturday, September 23, 2023, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, September 24, 2023, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
Kelly Peral, Oboe
JOYCE — Side by Side (2021)
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS — Concerto for Oboe and Strings in A minor (1944)
SCHUBERT — Symphony No. 8 in B minor D. 759, “Unfinished” (1822)
MUSSORGSKY — Night on Bald Mountain (1867)
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BEETHOVEN'S EMPEROR CONCERTO
Saturday, November 11, 2023, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, November 12, 2023, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous & Michael Slon, Conductors
Arunesh Nadgir, Piano
UVA University Singers
BEETHOVEN — Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, "Emperor" (1809)
COPLAND — Choral Finale from Canticle of Freedom (1955)
WHITACRE — Equus (2012)
HIGDON — O magnum mysterium (2002)
HAILSTORK — I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (1997)
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FAMILY HOLIDAY CONCERTS
Saturday, December 2, 2023, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, December 3, 2023, 3:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Michael Slon, Conductor
UVA University Singers
Features audience favorites “The Twelve Days of Christmas" , “Sleigh Ride” , and
“Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah as well as new holiday treats.
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SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Saturday, February 10, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, February 11, 2024, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Ken Lam, Guest conductor
Nathaniel Lee, Trombone
DEBUSSY — Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894)
ALBRECHTSBERGER — Trombone Concerto (1759)
BERLIOZ — Symphonie fantastique (1830)
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MOZART AND SHOSTAKOVICH
Saturday, March 16, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, March 17, 2024, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
MOZART — Overture to Don Giovanni (1787)
UVA Concerto Competition Winner — TBA
SHOSTAKOVICH — Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major, Op. 70 (1945)
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ACADEMIC FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 20, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, April 21, 2024, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
JoVia Armstrong, Percussion
Nicole Mitchell, Flute
Free Bridge Quintet
BERSTEIN — Overture to West Side Story (1957)
MITCHELL — Flight for Freedom (2011)
ARMSTRONG — “Creation”, “Embryo”, “Birth” (2021)
D'EARTH — Concerto for Quintet and Orchestra (2006)
RAVEL — Boléro, arr. Rous (1928/2024)
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All artists, programs and venues are subject to change.
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