M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

February 22, 2017 – Richmond, Virginia Music Director Steven Smith will lead the Richmond Symphony for the sixth Altria Masterworks concert of the season on Saturday, March 4 at 8pm at the Dominion Arts Center’s Carpenter Theatre. The performance includes pieces by Adolphus Hailstork, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, and features critically acclaimed violinist
Jinjoo Cho.

The concert will begin with Adolphus Hailstork’s An American Port of Call. In describing the piece, Virginia resident Dr. Hailstork says,

The concert overture, in sonata-allegro form captures the strident (and occasionally tender and even mysterious) energy of a busy American port city. The great port of Norfolk, Virginia, where I live, was the direct inspiration.

Following will be Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra featuring award-winning violinist Jinjoo Cho. The concerto’s popularity comes from its transparent simplicity and charm, as well as its romantic theme. Jinjoo Cho has performed throughout North and South America, Asia, and Europe, and as a soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra among many others.

The concert will conclude with Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka. Originally a ballet, Stravinsky revised Pétrouchka in 1947 for a concert performance, adding a concert ending. The story tells the tale of three puppets, Pétrouchka, the Moor and the Ballerina, who are brought to life by a mysterious showman at the Shrovetide Fair in St. Petersburg. As their personalities become animated, the Moor taunts Pétrouchka, who is in despair after having been rejected by the Ballerina. In the final scene, Pétrouchka rushes into the fair crowd, pursued by the Moor who attacks and strikes him dead. The showman reassures the crowd that Pétrouchka is only a puppet, but when the spectators leave, the puppet’s apparition startles him. Pétrouchka jeers at the terrified puppeteer from the roof of his booth.

Adult tickets for Altria Masterworks performances start at $10, college student tickets are $7, and child tickets are free for individuals 17 and under. Purchase tickets online at www.richmondsymphony.com or by calling 1.800.514.ETIX. A free pre-concert lecture with Music Director Steven Smith will begin at 7pm, in the theatre.

The Masterworks series sponsor is Altria. The guest artist sponsor is Willis Towers Watson. The media sponsor is Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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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, and radio broadcasts. The Symphony also provides educational outreach programs to over 50,000 students and teachers each year. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.