M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

September 23, 2016 – Richmond, Virginia The Dominion Casual Fridays Series returns for a second season and begins with Strauss’ Don Juan and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story on Friday, September 30 at 6:30pm. Music Director Steven Smith will lead the orchestra while host Todd Waldo guides audience members on a journey into the stories behind each piece. Grab a drink and relax during this casual, one-hour performance held at the Dominion Arts Center’s Carpenter Theatre.

Considered one of his greatest early works, Strauss’ Don Juan brings to life the mythic Spanish nobleman known for his rakish ways. Strauss’ tone poem begins with Don Juan impetuously rushing from one love to the next and ends with a dramatic pause, in which the music, and the Don, collapse in exhaustion. The second half of the concert will feature Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The music tells the story of Romeo and Juliet set in the blue collar neighborhoods of New York’s Upper West Side and the rivalry between two teenage street gangs of different backgrounds. Like the other great Broadway shows of the last century, its melodies and songs have become a part of our national identity.

After the concert, audience members are invited to join the Richmond Symphony for a post-concert happy hour in the speakeasy at Vagabond restaurant located at 700 E. Broad Street, one block from the Carpenter Theatre.

Tickets start at $10 online at richmondsymphony.com or by phone at 1.800.514 ETIX.
Casual Fridays concerts are free for children 18 and under with a paid adult ticket.
College student single tickets are $7 and Soundwave college student subscriptions are available for $25.

The series sponsor for the Casual Fridays Series is Dominion Resources. The concert sponsor is Floricane. The exclusive restaurant partner is Vagabond. The media sponsor is Richmond Times-Dispatch.

About the Richmond Symphony

Founded in 1957, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 260 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 200,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach programs. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.