News / RSO 2.0

ROANOKE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPRING CONCERT MAY 20, 2012

The Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra (RYSO) will present its Spring Concert on Sunday, May 20th at 3 p.m. at Jefferson Center. Tickets are $5 per person and will be available for purchase at the door.

The concert will feature Miss Emily Seibert, flute, the winner of the 2011 Young Artist Awards (YAA) in a performance of Vivaldi's "Bullfinch" Concerto in D Major, Opus 10. Miss Seibert is a native of Roanoke and recently completed her first year of undergraduate study at the University of Virginia. Additionally the RYSO will perform excerpts from Stravinsky's Firebird, Bartok's Hungarian Sketches, Rimsky-Korsakov's Procession of the Nobles and Danzon No. 2 by Marquez.

For all inquiries, please contact the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra's Education Director at (540) 343-6221, ext. 231 or liz.lochbrunner@rso.com.

About the RYSO
Under the direction of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Associate Concertmaster James Glazebrook, the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra (RYSO) provides professional orchestral training for young musicians from Southwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Over 65 young musicians attend weekly Sunday afternoon rehearsals and perform public concerts throughout the year. Musicians may participate with the RYSO through the spring semester of their senior year of high school and are expected to participate in their school band and/or orchestra programs, when available.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.



For Immediate Release
Date: 1 February, 2012
Contact: Rodney Overstreet, Marketing Director
540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com


NEW SYMPHONY BALL RAISES SUPPORT, EXTENDS REACH

Roanoke, Virginia - The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra announces new details surrounding its "Carnevale" Ball.  The black-tie, fund raising event is scheduled for February 11, 2012 at the Roanoke Ballroom at Hotel Roanoke. Admission to the event includes gourmet dinner, wines, open bar, free valet parking, pre-dinner entertainment, and live music from the RSO.  The event's Chairs are Dr.'s Nancy and Kevin Dye. Major sponsors include R.M. Johnson & Sons Jewelers and American Health Care, L.L.C.

Traditional Roots
In the long tradition of the Carnival of Venice, the RSO's Carnevale encourages celebration and the wearing of masks. In Venice, the Carnival is seen as a great opportunity for the community to gather and indulge in a variety of food while having a grand celebration prior to Lent. The RSO's Carnevale is a new twist on a traditional RSO event that reaches back through five decades, the "Symphony Ball".  With Carnevale, members of the community have assembled a celebration of the RSO's future.

New Details
Carnevale will include fire hooping entertainers, jugglers, and live orchestral music with selections ranging from those of Hoagy Carmichael, to Haydn, Rossini, Cole Porter, and others. Music and dance floor space will be available throughout the evening.  Dinner will be presented from concepts and traditions of Venice.  Shellfish, artichokes, lemon, fennel, duck, cherries, peas and pistachios will become flavorful notes in a multi-course composition by Hotel Roanoke Executive Chef, Bille Raper. Over 300 reservations have been made to date for the Ball, making it the largest in the RSO's history.  The event will begin with cocktails at 7 p.m.

The funds raised by Carnevale will help support concerts and education programs that reach into the community year round. Contributions to the RSO's general operating fund, and key fund raisers like Carnevale, enable the RSO to hire professional musicians and to present world renowned solo artists at affordable ticket prices. The support generated by Carnevale sponsors, in-kind contributors, volunteers and ticket buyers is vital to the RSO's mission.  Admission is $250 and is all inclusive. Reservations are required. For information and the reserve, call the RSO at 540.343.9127.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.



Concert Review: Galways, RSO shine with wit, virtuosity
Date: 7 November, 2011
By Tim Gaylard
Special to The Roanoke Times
Read the review at roanoke.com

The famed Irish flutist Sir James Galway and his wife, Jeanne, were the featured artists with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra at the Performing Arts Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Maestro David Stewart Wiley led the appealing program of Glinka, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Cimarosa for a sold-out house of more than 2,000 audience members.

Galway, who has been a leading classical performer for decades, played a joyful rendition of Mozart's Flute Concerto in D major. Galway applied the sound of his golden flute with admirable breath control, and he displayed sensitive nuances in the dynamic shadings of his instrument, most notably in the sustained beauties of the slow movement.

The audience was lucky to have not just one Galway but two, when Sir James' wife, Lady Galway, joined him to perform Cimarosa's Concerto for Two Flutes in G major. The couple sailed through the elegant and graceful score, playing off each others' musical lines with a unified approach and delightful repartee. The audience responded to this expert partnership with a well-deserved standing ovation. The Galways reciprocated by playing a number of encores, the highlights of the whole concert.

Sir James amused the audience with his Irish wit and charm as he introduced the items. He and his wife played a zippy arrangement of Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca," followed by Cindy McTee's beautiful arrangement of "Shenandoah."

Then Sir James took the stage alone. He played two Irish folk tunes, the latter an absolutely ravishing "Danny Boy." Then a Bach "Badinerie," taken at breath-taking speed, was repeated at an even more miraculous presto tempo.

Wiley provided a supportive orchestral sound for the soloists, and let the RSO shine in three crowd-pleasers for the orchestra alone.

In the second half of the program, Wiley conducted Mendelssohn's beloved tone-poem, known as either the "Hebrides" or "Fingal's Cave" overture. In this piece, the audience heard some of the best orchestral wind playing of the concert, especially from the clarinets.

Finally, as the audience was leaving, Sir James appeared one more time and played an Irish tune on his own. The crowd responded with clapping.

Timothy Gaylard is music professor at Washington and Lee University.





Date: 7 October, 2011
On the passing of Seth Williamson
By David Stewart Wiley

We in the entire arts community of Southwest Virginia are saddened to hear of the passing of Seth Williamson this morning. Seth was a man of many passions and talents. Among those talents, Seth had a gift to make great music of all kinds accessible and relevant to the listener, delivered with his warm, rich radio voice on WVTF Public Radio.

He obviously loved talking about and writing about music, and we felt that he was talking directly to us without in any way talking down to us. His reviews of our Roanoke Symphony concerts, Opera Roanoke, and other events printed in the Roanoke Times for several decades provided a valuable dialogue about the arts for our region. Seth gave us kudos when we deserved it and criticism when we deserved it as well, and the vital dialogue it created allowed the performing arts to have a wider impact and to remain relevant to our region. He will be missed.

-David Stewart Wiley





Concert Review: RSO's season debut rooted in Appalachia
Date: 4 October, 2011
By Kevin Kittredge
Special to The Roanoke Times
Read the review at roanoke.com

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and music director David Stewart Wiley kicked off their 2011-2012 season at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre on Monday night with a crowd-pleasing program that featured a distinct American theme. The bill included Leonard Bernstein's overture to "Candide" and the ever-popular "New World Symphony" by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, written on a visit to America in the 1890s. The audience of more than 1,600 even got into the act, singing along with the RSO's opening rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The highlight of the evening, however, was surely the world premiere of a concerto for mandolin and orchestra written by Roanoke's own Jeff Midkiff. Midkiff, a local educator and clarinetist, is also a virtuoso mandolin player. His concerto, "From the Blue Ridge," was commissioned by the RSO.

Blending elements of multiple genres and including lyrical solos on the piccolo and bassoon, the 18-minute concerto was a long way from "Rocky Top." Midkiff himself played the mandolin, switching from percussive rhythm work to do dazzling solo runs, in the process expanding this listener's knowledge of what a mandolin could do, and be. There were times when it sounded more like Flamenco guitar than a bluegrass instrument. The last movement, aptly titled "The Crooked Road," was where Midkiff showed his Appalachian roots. In one memorable passage, Midkiff and concertmaster Akemi Takayama played a searing bluegrass duet that would have drawn hoots and cheers in less august surroundings. This audience reserved the hollerin' for the end of the piece, which got a standing ovation.

Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 is one of the world's best-loved orchestral pieces. The composer was a little vague on whether its fetching melodies were based on African-American or Native American roots, and some feel they draw mostly from his native Bohemia. Either way, it's an early statement about the power of America's polyglot culture that still resonates today.

The RSO did the piece justice. The ravishing English horn melody in the slow movement, played here by William Parrish, was enough to bring tears to the eye. Some of the more boisterous parts lacked punch in this difficult room, however, especially in the right loge -- despite the fact the RSO had placed its horn players up on risers. But the strings had a warm, buttery sound up there, lovely to hear. All in all, it was a satisfying night, and a powerful argument for keeping Wiley, now in his 16th season, around forever.





For Immediate Release
Date: 14 July, 2011
Contact: Rodney Overstreet, Marketing Director
540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com


YOUNG MUSICIANS TOUR POLAND

Roanoke, Virginia - The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the Opole, Poland Committee of Roanoke Valley Sister Cities, Inc. will offer a unique experience for Roanoke area youth next month. Five members of the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orcherstra, and chaperones, will travel to Opole to study and perform with students and faculty of the Frederick Chopin School of Music. The students include violinists Hannah Brooke and Elizabeth Parmer, flutist Megan Pasquarell, trumpeter Seth Allen, and trombonist Daniel Valois.

The two-week visit will also include stays and tours in several Polish cities and sites including Auschwitz, Czestochowa, Wieliczka, Wroclaw and the king's castle in Krakow. The RYSO musicians along with students from Opole and Potsdam, Germany, will also attend an annual music camp in Glucholazy, Poland. The camp in Glucholazy will offer intensive preparation for solo and small ensemble performances there as well as final performances in Wroclaw and at Opole Symphony Hall on August 13th.

The Roanoke Valley Sister Cities Opole Committee sponsored similar experiences in 2006 and 2010 when Opole students visited and performed in the Roanoke Valley.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.



For Immediate Release
Date: 16 May, 2011
Contact: Rodney Overstreet, Marketing Director
540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com


RSO POPS SERIES 2011-2012

Roanoke Virginia - The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with music director David Stewart Wiley announces it's 2011-2012 Picnic at the Pops Series. The series will include four concert/events at the Salem Civic Center between October 2011 and March 2012. The series is known for internationally recognized Pops artists in a casual "picnic" setting with table seating and stadium seating. The series is sponsored by A Friend of the RSO.

The RSO presents Billy Ocean on October 21, 2011 at 8 p.m. Billy Ocean has sold over 30 million records across the world and hit the No. 1 spot worldwide on pop charts in the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, and the UK. Billy has achieved extraordinary success as both an artist and a songwriter. Hits include the million-selling No. 1 single "Caribbean Queen" (for which Billy won a Grammy for best R&B Vocal), "Suddenly," "When the Going gets Tough (the tough get going)," "There'll be Sad Songs (to make you cry)," and the now classic "Get Outta my Dreams; Get into my Car."

he second Pops Series concert in the 2011-2012 season is a new presentation of the RSO's "Holiday Pops Spectacular." On December 9, 2011, the RSO is joined by soprano Adelaide Muir Trombetta, the Hollins University Choir, the Roanoke College Children's Choir and the Mill Mountain [handbell] Ringers.

KC & The Sunshine Band will take the stage with the RSO on March 30, 2012. Harry Wayne Casey, KC for short, has produced a string of hits. KC & The Sunshine Band have sold over 100 million records, received nine Grammy nominations, three Grammy Awards and an American Music Award. Their first record, Blow Your Whistle, made the top 15 on the R&B chart. Their second album went triple platinum and contained the No. 1 hits "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way I Like It," "Boogie Shoes" and "Rock You Baby." KC & The Sunshine Band became the first act to score four No. 1 pop singles in one twelve-month period. Three of those singles crossed over to become No. 1 R&B.

The last Pops series concert of the 2011-2012 season features the Canadian band Jeans 'n Classics in the 5th Annual collaboration now known as "RSO Rocks." The RSO and Jeans Ôn Classics, with lead vocalist Michael Shotton, will present "One Vision: The Music of Queen" on June 2, 2012 at 8 p.m.

Subscription tickets for the 2011-2012 Picnic at the Pops Series go on sale June 20, 2011 with lower prices than last season. A three-concert Pops subscription ranges from $72 to $195. A four-concert subscription is also available. Individual concert tickets, including the RSO's new "Symphony Samplers," go on sale August 15, 2011. "Symphony Samplers" will allow ticket buyers to create their own entertainment packages of 3, 4, or 5 concerts from Pops or Masterworks concerts, with a tier of discounts. For more information about tickets, call 540.343.9127 or visit the RSO Box Office located on the 2nd floor of Jefferson Center, 541 Luck Avenue in Roanoke.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.



For Immediate Release
Date: 6 May, 2011
Contact: Rodney Overstreet, Marketing Director
540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com


MUSICIANS CONTRACT WITH THE ROANOKE SYMPHONY

Roanoke Virginia - The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with music director David Stewart Wiley is pleased to announce that William Parrish, Jr., Aaron Hill, and Carmen Eby have been selected as the newest members of the RSO. Auditions took place on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke for the positions of Principal Oboe, 2nd Oboe/English Horn, and Principal Clarinet. There were 50 applicants for the three positions, of which 22 candidates were invited to audition. The applicants included musicians from as far away as California.

William (Bill) Parrish, Jr. of Lynchburg, Virginia was selected by the RSO to fulfill the position of Principal Oboe. Parrish earned his Bachelor of Arts from Carnegie Mellon University, and his Master of Music degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Previous performance experience includes positions with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, among others. Parrish teaches at Lynchburg College.

Aaron Hill of Charlottesville, Virginia was selected for the 2nd Oboe/English Horn position. Hill earned his Bachelor of Music degree with Highest Honors from the University of Michigan, and Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale University. Hill's performance experience includes that with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and Rochester Philharmonic, among others. Hill is a Lecturer of Music [Oboe] at the University of Virginia.

Carmen Eby of Greensboro, North Carolina was selected to fulfill the position of principal Clarinet. Eby earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Luther College, her Master of Music and DMA both from The Ohio State University. Orchestral experience includes the Greensboro Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, and Buffalo Philharmonic, among others. Eby instructs Clarinet at Guilford College and runs a private instruction studio in Greensboro.

"We are thrilled to welcome three new professional orchestra members to our Roanoke Symphony Orchestra," said Music Director David Stewart Wiley. "The audition committee and I heard a remarkably high artistic level, and we were thrilled to offer these important woodwind positions to Bill, Aaron, and Carmen." The musicians will receive contracts for the RSO's 2011-2012 season which begins this Fall.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.



For Immediate Release
Date: 25 April, 2011
Contact: Rodney Overstreet,
Marketing Director, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com


RSO ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2011 YOUNG ARTIST AWARDS

Roanoke, Va. -- The Young Artist Awards (YAA) is an annual competition hosted by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra (RSO) for members of the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra (RYSO). This year's competition was held on Saturday, April 23 in Talmadge Recital Hall at Hollins University.

Emily Seibert, flute, of Roanoke, is the first place winner of the 2011 Young Artist Awards (YAA). Miss Seibert will perform as a soloist with the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra (RYSO) during the 2011-2012 academic year. Miss Seibert will graduate from Hidden Valley High School in June and will be attending the University of Virginia. The second place winner is Sage Wright, violin, of Rocky Mount. Miss Wright, best known for performing with her siblings as part of the Wright Kids, is currently in 9th grade. The third place winner is Zach Nicely, French horn, of Clifton Forge. Mr. Nicely is a junior at Alleghany High School. Anna Gustad, violin, of Roanoke, received an Honorable Mention from the jurors of the YAA. Miss Gustad is currently in 9th grade at Patrick Henry High School.

The YAA competition was initiated in 1983 by a gift from Mr. Eldon C. Grover, a former RSO Board member and patron. This generous gift enabled the formation of the Eldon C. Grover Fund, specifically for education scholarships. A portion of the Fund's proceeds finance the YAA. Three financial awards, in the amounts of $300.00, $200.00, and $100.00, are awarded to the first, second, and third place winners respectively. The first place recipient is invited to perform as a soloist with RYSO during the following academic year.

Please direct all inquiries about the Young Artist Awards to the RSO's Education Director at (540) 343-6221, ext. 231 or liz.lochbrunner@rso.com.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.

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