M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

Richmond Symphony announces free ticket initiative for children under 18 starting with its Altria Masterworks concert featuring award-winning pianist Anton Nel

October 12, 2016 – Richmond, Virginia Join the Richmond Symphony and Music Director Steven Smith for the second Altria Masterworks concert of the season on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8pm and Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3pm at the Dominion Arts Center’s Carpenter Theatre. The performance includes pieces by Dvořák and Libby Larsen and features award-winning pianist Anton Nel performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor.

Building on previous outreach efforts like the Symphony’s Big Tent community festivals and education programs that reach over 50,000 students in the region annually, the Richmond Symphony is aiming to be one of the most accessible orchestras in the country.  This is exemplified by making all tickets free for young people under the age of 18 for its Altria Masterworks and Dominion Casual Fridays concerts at the Dominion Arts Center.

Executive Director David Fisk states “We want to remove as many barriers as possible for young people to experience some of the greatest music ever written.  Many of us still remember the incredible experience of hearing the power of an orchestra, live, for the first time when we were kids: for some of us, it changed our lives.  We hope, by making these tickets freely available, to have that same impact on young people from all over the Richmond region. It’s important not only for the future of the Symphony, but for the future of Richmond as a dynamic, creative city, that everyone has access to music and the other arts.”

The October 22 and 23 Altria Masterworks performances begin with Libby Larsen’s Collage: Boogie; a piece that incorporates snippets of famous American boogies like “Kitten on the Keys” and “Down the Road a Piece,” and weaves them into a texture with constantly shifting perspectives. “The effect is one of urban activity and intense bustle,” says Larsen.

Following Collage: Boogie will be Schumann’s Concerto in A minor. Composed by one of the greatest German composers of the Romantic era, this piece includes excitable mood swings within the three movements, highlighting the intricacy of the piano and the wistful oboe. Performing the concerto will be award-winning pianist Anton Nel, winner of the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall.

The concert will conclude with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor. The piece reflects his own feelings regarding his desire for peace in his homeland and for the political issues at this time to subside.

Adult tickets for Altria Masterworks performances start at $10, College student single tickets are $7, and Child tickets are free for individuals under the age of 18. Purchase tickets online at richmondsymphony.com or by calling 1.800.514 ETIX.

The Masterworks series sponsor is Altria. The concert is sponsored by Covington Travel.

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. www.richmondsymphony.com