MasterWorks Concerts

Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Trio Terzetto
Diana Cohen, Violin
Tanya Ell, Cello
Renana Gutman, Piano

REZNICEK - Overture to Donna Diana
BEETHOVEN - Concerto for Violin, Cello & Piano in C Major
BRAHMS - Symphony No. 2 in D Major

The Lansing Symphony’s 81^st season opens with the festive Overture to Donna Diana. Joining the orchestra for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto is Trio Terzetto, featuring Okemos native Tanya Ell. The young trio has received enormous acclaim for their abilities and passion. They bring their youthful energy to Beethoven’s Triple, a masterpiece for piano trio and orchestra. The evening concludes with Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, a cornerstone of the Romantic repertoire. Combining deep, soulful moments with abrupt explosions of sheer joy, the symphony ends triumphantly as we launch our 2010/2011 season.

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Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Michael Gurt, Piano

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
TCHAIKOVSKY - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor
SIBELIUS - Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major

Celebrate the music of England, Russia and Finland with three pieces that represent their homelands with pride. Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis opens the concert with a strikingly original blend of ancient themes and English Pastoral Romanticism. The phenomenal Michael Gurt will join the orchestra for the strength and passion of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The New York Times proclaims, “Mr. Gurt displayed an almost superhuman command of the keyboard.” Don’t miss his super powers on this favorite of the piano repertoire. End the evening with a trip through the majestic mountains and fjords of Finland in Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5.

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David Rayl, Conductor
Seunghee Lee, Violin
David Small, Baritone
MSU Choral Union & Chorale

VIVALDI - “Winter” from Four Seasons
RUTTER - When Icicles Hang
BLOCH - Sacred Service

Join us for a celebration of the winter season, an evening that will set the tone for one of the holiest times of year, no matter how you celebrate. “Winter” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons evokes swirling snow and icy rain, brought to life by Concertmaster Seunghee Lee. Rutter’s When Icicles Hang showcases the chorus in a cycle of songs celebrating winter. And finally, Bloch’s Sacred Service invokes the spirit of a synagogue service with its use of chorus and cantor, delivered by powerful and dramatic Baritone David Small. With its rich, harmonic language, Bloch’s Sacred Service has the power to rejuvenate any winter evening.

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Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Yolanda Kondonassis, Harp

ROSSINI - Overture to La Gazza Ladra
GINASTERA - Harp Concerto
DEBUSSY - Danses Sacrée et Profane
RESPIGHI - Pines of Rome

Called “powerful” by the New York Times and “dazzling” by the Detroit News, Yolanda Kondonassis brings her exquisite artistry to Lansing for Ginastera’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, a thrilling force that combines vibrant Argentinean flavors with dramatic and virtuosic solo harp. The theme of colorful far away places begins with Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra, continues with Debussy’s exotic work for harp and orchestra Danses Sacrée et Profane and concludes with Respighi’s epic Pines of Rome.

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Get to know your Symphony! Join us for an entertaining and informational evening with the leaders of the Lansing Symphony, including Music Director Timothy Muffitt, Executive Director Courtney Millbrook, Board members and musicians. Enjoy dinner during a panel discussion of the Lansing Symphony’s operations and mission. Then, take your place on stage with Timothy Muffitt and the Orchestra for a full rehearsal of a MasterWorks concert.

$50 per person, limited capacity

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Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Melissa White, Violin

MENDELSSOHN - Violin Concerto in E Minor
HAYDN - Symphony No. 49 in F Minor “La Passione”
WAGNER - Selections from the Ring Cycle

The Lansing Symphony welcomes Lansing’s own Melissa White home for one of the most beloved concertos of all time – Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. A member of the critically-acclaimed Harlem String Quartet, Melissa brings momentum from her exciting young career back to her home town. Next, enjoy Haydn’s Symphony No. 49 “La Passione,” and its beautifully melancholy melodies. Finish the evening with selections from Wagner’s Ring Cycle, including “Ride of the Valkyries” and other epic moments.

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Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Anton Nel, Piano

GERSHWIN - Cuban Overture
RAVEL - Piano Concerto in G Major
RAVEL - Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major
GERSHWIN - An American in Paris

The 2010/2011 season concludes with a look at jazz from both sides of the Atlantic. Gershwin’s Cuban Overture starts the night off with thrilling Latin rhythms and rich, exciting orchestration. When Ravel was traveling in the United States, he was highly impressed by the jazz movement and incorporated much of what he was hearing into his Piano Concerto and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, which will feature pianist Anton Nel. Nel has been heralded by the New York Times as “an uncommonly elegant pianist” and “an exceptional performer” by the Chicago Sun Times. The night concludes with one of Gershwin’s most well-known and energizing works: An American in Paris.

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