Musical Art in a Modern World focus of Glacier Symphony and Chorale's 23rd Season
The Glacier Symphony and Chorale will unleash its 23rd concert season on October 15-16 with the first of nine concerts featuring a variety of symphonic, pops, chamber and chorale music, following the theme of "Musical Art in a Modern World."
Concerts will be performed primarily in the auditorium at Flathead High School in Kalispell, with additional music events scheduled in Whitefish, Bigfork and St. Ignatius through May. Evening concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinee performances scheduled for 3 p.m.
An outdoor summer concert is planned for July with a possible return of the Baroque and Beyond Ensemble later in the summer.
The Glacier Chorale, under the direction of Shuan Garner, will appear in the December Christmas concert and in two chorale-only concerts in March and in the St. Ignatius Mission in April.
The opening concert, titled "Cathedral of Sound," debuts at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 and plays again at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. It will feature the symphony in a performance of two of Vienna's late 19th-century musical masters, Brahms and Bruckner. Guest artist David Halen, concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony, will perform Brahm's Violin Concerto in D, conducted by John Zoltek. Bruckner's massive, "Romantic" Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major will follow it.
On Nov. 20, at 3 p.m., the symphony will perform a "Beethoven Blast" featuring three of Beethoven's most popular works. "Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Major" featuring guest pianist, Roger Wright, will join the "Overture to Egmont" and "Symphony No. 2 in D Major."
"A Timeless Christmas" the annual holiday family concert will feature the 60-voice chorale with the full symphony. Highlights in the orchestral portion will be Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus Overture" and Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite."
The Glacier String Quartet will perform "Magnificent Mozart" in selected informal venues in Whitefish, Bigfork and Kalispell on Jan. 20-22.
The evening combines delightful chamber music and delectable dessert offerings. Guest artist with the quartet will be Dinah Weimer, principle clarinetist with the Glacier Symphony, performing Mozart's Clarinet Quartet. This concert is outside of the six masterworks concerts and is priced individually.
Recorder virtuoso, Horacio Franco will be soloist with the symphony in a concert titled "Pines of Rome and the Magical Piper" on Feb. 11-12.
"Music For Sacred Spaces" will return to Whitefish and Kalispell on March 18-19 when the Glacier Chorale will perform in area church sanctuaries. The 60-voice chorale will be joined by the select chamber choir, the Montanaires, in an overview of sacred songs and traditional spirituals.
On April 8-9, the Glacier Symphony Pops orchestra will perform "Movie Music Spectacular" a great pops concert for the entire family dedicated to the art of movie music.
Glacier Chorale goes "On the Road" on April 30 with a special concert in the sanctuary of the historic St. Ignatius Mission.
"Berlioz and Liszt: Extreme Romantics" will be the season finale with the Glacier Symphony on May 13-14. Flathead Valley's own Robert Satterlee will travel from his home in Indiana to display his musicianship in the fiery and iabolic showpiece, "Totentanz" for piano and orchestra by Franz Liszt. The symphony will then perform Hector Berlioz's masterpiece "Symphonie Fantastique."
The symphony and chorale offer a season-ticket package that includes six masterworks concerts for the price of five as well as a ticket package for all nine concerts. Season-ticket prices range from $45 for student general admission to $180 for an adult all-concert reserved seat ticket.
In addition, a special half-price offer is being made to those who have not previously purchased a season ticket. Individual concert tickets can be purchased at Glacier Symphony ticket outlets.
Costs for symphony concerts are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students. Complete details about ticket pricing and packages and mail-in order forms can be found at www.glaciersymphonychorale.org or by calling 257-3241.