Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
Jiyeon Choi, Clarinet
Adam Carter, Cello
Program:
VERDI — Overture to La forza del destino
RUSSELL — Adagio for Clarinet, Cello, and Orchestra
SHAW — Concerto for Clarinet
BEETHOVEN — Symphony No. 5
The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, conducted by Music Director Benjamin Rous, opens its 50th Anniversary Season on Saturday, September 28, 7:30pm, at Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia and Sunday, September 29, 3:30pm, at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center.
Marking the occasion, Rous says, “For our 50th Anniversary Season, we wanted to showcase the best of what the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia has been over the years. As a classical music ensemble, our aim was to celebrate a tradition of serving as a unique bridge to the past, while also connecting with the present. We’ve planned a season that emphasizes the symphonic tradition – both the Charlottesville Symphony’s and the broader history of symphonic music – while also continuing to show the versatility of orchestra performance and the way our music can intersect with the modern world. I want the whole season to feel like a celebration, and I designed every program to be a moment worthy of cherishing.”
Highlights of the 2024-25 season include audience favorites by Barber, Beethoven, Debussy, Prokofiev, Ravel and Verdi. Music Director Laureate Kate Tamarkin returns to the podium in November to conduct Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, performed on the orchestra’s inaugural concert in April, 1974. The UVA University Singers join the orchestra and four vocal soloists specializing in historically authentic performances for Mozart’s Requiem. Pianist Anna Han makes her Charlottesville debut in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. And the orchestra premiers “& metaphors”, a work for rapper, countertenor and orchestra commissioned by the Charlottesville Symphony Society from UVA Associate Professor of Hip-Hop and the Global South A.D. Carson.
The September 28-29 concerts open with Giuseppe Verdi’s Overture to La forza del destino (“the force of destiny”). An ominous three-note motif opens Verdi’s tragic opera, symbolizing the working of fate on its principal characters.
Jiyeon Choi, the orchestra’s Principal Clarinet and Lecturer in Clarinet at the University of Virginia, swings as the soloist in Artie Shaw’s jazzy and bluesy Concerto for Clarinet. She will be joined by Principal Cello and UVA Associate Professor of Music Adam Carter for the slowly unfolding Adagio from Jonathan Russell’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Cello.
Another famous fate motif appears in the opening four notes of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, arguably one of the most iconic works in the symphonic repertoire. Beethoven’s biographer thought the recurring theme resembled fate knocking at the door.
The orchestra’s September concerts are underwritten in part by Dolores G. Bedell. Jiyeon Choi’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 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-$53 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.
Click here to add the 9/28 performance to your Google Calendar
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All artists, programs, and venues are subject to change.
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CONCERTS IN THE 2024-2025 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHARLOTTESVILLE SYMPHONY SEASON
Saturday, September 28, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, September 29, 2024, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
Jiyeon Choi, Clarinet
Adam Carter, Cello
Program:
VERDI — Overture to La forza del destino
RUSSELL — Adagio for Clarinet, Cello, and Orchestra
SHAW — Concerto for Clarinet
BEETHOVEN — Symphony No. 5
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Saturday, November 16, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, November 17, 2024, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Kate Tamarkin, Guest Conductor
Program:
DE FALLA — The Three-Cornered Hat, Suite No. 2
RAVEL — Mother Goose Suite
DVOŘÁK — Slavonic Dance No. 7
DVOŘÁK — Symphony No. 8
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Saturday, December 7, 2024, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, December 8, 2024, 3:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Michael Slon, Conductor
UVA University Singers
Holiday favorites with the UVA University Singers and local jazz legend John D’earth
Program TBA
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Saturday, February 8, 2025, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, February 9, 2025, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
Program:
HAGUE — Morning Overture
UVA Concerto Competition Winner — TBA
PROKOFIEV — Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
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Saturday, March 22, 2025, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, March 23, 2025, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
A.D. Carson, Rapper
Clara Rottsolk, Soprano
Patrick Dailey, Countertenor
Gene Stenger, Tenor
Andrew Garland, Baritone
UVA University Singers
Program:
BARBER — Adagio for Strings
CARSON — New Commission for Rapper and Orchestra
MOZART — Requiem
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RACHMANINOFF PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 7:30pm, Old Cabell Hall, UVA Grounds (Tickets)
Sunday, April 27, 2025, 3:30pm, Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center (Tickets)
Benjamin Rous, Conductor
Anna Han, Piano
Program:
DEBUSSY — Clair de lune
SAARIAHO — Asteroid 4179
BORODIN — Polovstian Dances
RACHMANINOFF — Piano Concerto No. 3