opening concert, “Heroic Portraits.”
Music Director Allan R. Scott and the Helena Symphony launch the symphony’s 59th season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Helena Civic Center. Titled “Heroic Portraits,” the opening night features Gov. Steve Bullock narrating American composer Aaron Copland’s inspiring “Lincoln Portrait.”
Copland’s spirit of Americana is coupled with maverick Charles Ives’s Symphony No. 2, complete with gospel, Americana and barn-dancing fiddle tunes. The performance culminates with Beethoven’s revolutionary testament in his groundbreaking Symphony No. 3 – the Eroica (“heroic” ).
The evening concludes with a champagne dessert reception with Gov. Bullock, Maestro Scott, and the musicians of the orchestra in the Civic Center Ballroom, featuring candies and chocolates from The Parrot. Admission is $10, and free for season ticket-holders.
Subscriptions for the six Exergy Masterworks Concerts are available now, and includes some of the most well-loved works of music including: three symphonies by Beethoven, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, works by Leonard Bernstein and Bach, and an a concert dedicated to the operas of Giuseppe Verdi. The season also features soloists such as world-renowned pianist Joel Fan, New York City Opera soprano Kerri Marcinko, superstar tenor Kirk Dougherty, and the orchestra’s own principal cellist Linda Kuhn, to name a few.
The symphony is also offering a new Young Professionals Concert Series, designed for audience members in their 20s to 40s. This three-concert mini-series (performances are in September, January and February) is designed so young professionals have an opportunity to become part of the Helena arts scene, mingle and network with other young professionals, and experience the Helena Symphony. The series costs $50 for all three concerts, and includes several other bonuses such as a pre-concert social with a complimentary drink and a ticket to the opening night Reception.
“Living in such uncertainty these days, upheaval, and economic trends, this is a time when we need music the most in our lives,” “We have a great treasure in Helena – a fabulous orchestra and chorus,” says Executive Director Pat Callbeck Harper. “Allow us to continue to enrich your lives with the great gift of music.”
Subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased online at helenasymphony.org, or by calling the box office at 406-442-1860.