West Hartford Symphony Classical Concert this Sunday

Submitted release by David White

The (WHSO), conducted by music director Richard Chiarappa, will perform its “Classical Concert” Sunday April 1, 3:00 pm, at the Roberts Theatre on the campus of , 170 Kingswood Road, West Hartford. Doors open at 2:15.

This program continues the Tenth Anniversary theme “Favorite Movements/Favorite Moments,” the WHSO’s most popular pieces from past seasons. The feature composition, by 20th-century American composer Howard Hanson, will be “Symphony No. 2: Romantic,” the very first symphony the WHSO performed, harkening back to the spring of 2002. Hanson (1896-1981) was dean of the Eastman School of Music for forty years, a composer, conductor, educator, and a vigorous advocate of American classical music; contemporary audiences may already be familiar with this work from the closing credits of the 1979 science-fiction film “Alien.” Hanson also won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1944.

A dean in a somewhat different category is another 20th-century American composer, Aaron Copland (1900-1990), often referred to as the “Dean of American Music.” Copland broke with predominating European classical traditions in the 1930s and 1940s to create what is now considered to be a distinctly American sound. And, like Howard Hanson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, in1945. The WHSO will reprise its first season by performing his “Outdoor Overture.”

The second half of the concert features music from the world of opera. Selections will include a misto of Verdi overtures, Puccini arias, and intermezzos by Mascagni and Puccini. Sure to please and delight will be singers Ken Shelley, tenor (“Nessun Dorma”) and Louise Fauteux, soprano (“Chi’ il Bel Sogno”). The operatic works will be vividly as well as humorously described by our favorite narrator, Michael Dunne. “Don’t miss this trio of performers,” said Richard Chiarappa. “They are outstanding both individually and collectively. We were privileged to have them perform with us several times over the last decade.”

All tickets are $15.00 and children under 12 are admitted without charge. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling the WHSO office at 860-521-4362, or securely online on our new website at www.whso.org.

Handicap parking is available via Outlook Avenue off of Farmington Avenue, inside the Kingswood Oxford main gate. Regular parking may be accessed through the Trout Brook Drive entrance.

will offer a delectable and appealing selection of refreshments.

Our Mission: Bringing People Together Through Music

Central to the WHSO’s mission of giving back to the community is its support of the West Hartford Food Pantry. Please bring non-perishable food, household, and personal hygiene items to help your neighbors in need.

http://www.west-hartford.com/townservices/towndepartments/HumanServices/RelatedServices/FoodPantry.htm