admin April 22nd, 2008
The Akron Symphony is proud to announce dates for the 2008-2009 season. The new season offers a musical medley of musical experiences, from Tchaikovsky to Mozart to Beethoven and beyond. With something for everyone, the season includes a variety of programming such as a Classical celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th Birthday; a swinging Pops performance of Frank Sinatra’s hit songs; and an out of this world musical Odyssey featuring the music and myth of the Star Wars film saga. Look here and in your mailbox for more details. In the meantime, here’s what the Akron Beacon Journal had to say about the new season.
Also, new subscribers can save up to 50% when they purchase either a Classic, Odyssey, or Pops series subscription. Call 330-535-8131 and reserve your seats today!
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admin April 11th, 2008
Akron Symphony Assistant Conductor Christopher Lees was joined by “Uncle Remus” of Madcap Puppet Theatre for an appearance on WKYC’s Good Company this morning. The pair were promoting the Akron Symphony’s A Fairy Tale Fantasy concert this Sunday at E.J. Thomas Hall at 3 p.m. The collaboration between the puppets of Madcap and the ASO will bring fairy tales to life through the magic of puppetry and music. Tickets are still available. Call (330) 972-7570 or order online at Ticketmaster. Click here to watch the ASO and Madcap on Good Company.
admin April 9th, 2008
Akron Symphony Brings Fairy Tales To Life With Giant Puppets Of Madcap
Cincinnati-based Puppet Theatre Company joins ASO on final Odyssey of 08-09 season
Akron—The Akron Symphony’s new Odyssey series wraps up the 2008-2009 season with A Fairy Tale Fantasy on Sunday, April 13th at 3:00 p.m. at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall. A Fairy Tale Fantasy brings the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the giant puppets of Madcap Puppet Theatre together for an enchanting program of fairy tales set to great orchestral music, led by Akron Symphony Assistant Conductor, Christopher James Lees. Works to be performed during the concert include Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte: Overture, Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance in C Major, and Copland’s Hoe Down from Rodeo, among others.
Odyssey, which made its debut this season, is a series of concerts that explore music through narration, dance, drama, and the visual arts. The series is aimed at bringing the entire family together to experience symphonic music combined with informative, engaging, and entertaining visuals.
Listen to a commerical for A Fairy Tale Fantasy!
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admin January 7th, 2008
Akron Symphony Begins New Year With Double Feature Weekend In January
Akron—January 7, 2008—The Akron Symphony will present two concerts in January as it begins the second half of the 2007-2008 season. Both concerts will be held at E.J. Thomas Hall the weekend of January 19 and 20.
Orchestral Alchemy
On Saturday, January 19 at 8:00 p.m., the Akron Symphony will continue its Classic Series with Orchestral Alchemy. The concert will feature three works that evoke the fantastic and supernatural. The first half of the concert opens with Samuel Barber’s Music for a Scene from Shelley, a piece inspired by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound, and concludes with Paul Dukas’ famed The Sorcerer’s Apprentice—known to generations through Disney’s Fantasia. The second half of the concert is devoted to Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, a musical tale of unrequited love as seen through the veils of obsession and hallucination.
Musical Wizardry
The Akron Symphony’s new Odyssey series continues with Musical Wizardry on Sunday, January 20 at 3:00 p.m. The series combines great music with strong visual elements to engage audiences of all ages. Magician John Pyka will join Maestro Wilkins and Akron Symphony Assistant Conductor Christopher James Lees on stage to perform some of his trademark illusions set to music by the Akron Symphony Orchestra. Works to be performed during the concert include Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, highlights from Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Hovaness’ Mysterious Mountain Elgar’s Enigma Variations and de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance. The Akron Youth Symphony will also perform alongside the ASO during selected pieces.
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admin November 16th, 2007
Check out this video of Maestro Wilkins and composer Stella Sung on NBC’s Good Company, discussing tomorrow night’s concert, American Reflections and Sunday afternoon’s American Quilt. Thanks to Fred Griffith and the crew at Good Company for a fun morning. Christopher and Stella also appeared on WCPN’s Around Noon with host Dee Perry. Click here to listen to that conversation.
admin November 15th, 2007
As part of Sunday’s upcoming Odyssey concert, American Quilt, we asked the Akron community to send in photos that answered two important questions: who are you and where do you come from. We asked and Akron answered; the pictures that came in were of children, parents, grandparents, teachers, and other heroes. Click here to check out our gallery of many of the photos that were sent in. And make sure to attend the concert this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. as we use music and these images to create an American Quilt of our own. Pre-concert activities start at 2:00 p.m. in the E.J. Thomas Hall lobbies.
admin November 5th, 2007
Akron Symphony to Launch New Odyssey Series on November 18
Interactive concert to explore ‘fabric’ of American Music
Akron—Who are you? And where do you come from? The Akron Symphony wants to know as they prepare to launch Odyssey, a brand new concert series premiering Sunday, November 18th at E.J. Thomas Hall at 3 p.m. The first concert, titled American Quilt, will feature a cavalcade of collaborators, guest artists, and everyday members of the community in a concert exploring the colorful and complex “quilt” of American music. Partners include Hale Farm and Village; the Akron Art Museum; drummer, Roland Jackson; soprano, Tiffany Jackson; the Urquhart School of Scottish Dance; Old Trail School; Steven Ostrow; and jazz saxophonist, Jimmy Noel. They will all join Christopher Wilkins and the musicians of the Akron Symphony in an examination of the rich fabric of American musical and visual art— in a program appropriate for music lovers of all ages.
“An Odyssey concert takes its audience on an excursion,” says Akron Symphony Music Director, Christopher Wilkins. “A concert is no longer a bunch of pieces played in sequence—it is an experience.”
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admin October 31st, 2007
Who are you? Where do you come from? Think you can answer these questions with a few photos? If so, click here and e-mail your pictures to us at ASO Connect. We’ll select several to be displayed during the finale of our first Odyssey series concert, American Quilt on November 18, 2007 at E.J. Thomas Hall. The collage of photos will be part of an interactive multi-media climax set to the wonderful music of Daniel Bernard Roumain–Human Songs and Stories.
Please submit photos in a portrait orientation–not landscape. See sample below.
admin September 20th, 2007
For those of you who will not be able to attend this morning’s Akron Roundtable address by Akron Symphony Music Director, Christopher Wilkins, we have a full transcript of his speech right here. Big thanks to the Maestro and Akron Roundtable’s Jim Nolte for allowing us to post this.
admin August 8th, 2007
It’s official. The Akron Symphony 2007-2008 season brochure is on its way to mailboxes everywhere. If you just can’t wait, click here to download a copy. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file. Click here if you don’t have Adobe. Special thanks to Rick, Lia and the rest of the crew at TRIAD Communications for their great work on the brochure.
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