EASTON, MD – The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra has announced its spring concerts. “A Sense of the Tragic, An Exciting Debut!” will be held on Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Easton Church of God in Easton, MD; on Saturday, March 9 at 3 p.m. at Mariner’s Bethel in Ocean View, DE; and on Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at Community Church in Ocean Pines, MD. The concert will feature Schubert, Symphony No. 4.
Andrews SillFranz Schubert (1797-1828) is the father of the art song, blessed with the gifts of melody and harmony. Symphony No. 4 D 417 “Tragic” was written when Schubert was 19 years old, but never publicly played during his lifetime. The Symphony shows remarkable structure and ability to manage the available orchestral forces and thematic material. Andrews Sill will be the Guest Conductor for the concert. Sill is Associate Music Director of New York City Ballet and Music Director of Milwaukee Ballet. Active as a concert pianist, he is one of few artists who perform concertos leading the orchestra from the keyboard. In addition to giving solo recitals, Sill has been a member of the Whitney Trio and the Manhattan Contemporary Ensemble.
Michael McHaleThe second of the MSO’s spring concerts, “Ode to Humankind, To Country and to Joy!” will be held on Friday, April 26, 7 p.m. at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD and on Sunday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, MD. The concert will feature ‘Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius, a Piano Concerto by Ravel, and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” Ravel was a master of orchestration. “Piano Concerto in G” was written in 1929-1931 after Ravel’s tour of North America, where he was exposed to jazz and the music of Gershwin. Originally commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London in 1817, Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” was one of the vehicles with which Beethoven unleashed the creative powers of his maturity. The concert will feature Belfast-born Michael McHale on piano. McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, Concerto soloist, and chamber musician. In 2017, McHale was invited to become a Patron of the Ulster Youth Orchestra, and in 2018 he was appointed as a part-time professor of piano for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Cork School of Music in Ireland.
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The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Talbot County Arts Council, the Worcester County Arts Council, Sussex County, Delaware and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc. Tickets for these concerts and more of the MSO are available online at midatlanticsymphony.org or by telephone (888) 846-8600. For further information, visit midatlanticsymphony.org.
