Richmond Symphony

Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Side-By-Side with the Richmond Symphony
2019-02-10 19:30 (America/New_York) | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
RSYO performs masterworks of the orchestral repertoire, as students hold themselves to a high level of discipline, preparation and musicianship. Nearly all members of RSYO study with private instructors and all are leaders in their school programs. RSYO student members will play side-by-side with Richmond Symphony musicians in this valuable learning experience.

Concert is free and open to the public.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Learn more about Abigail Leidy, 2019 Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition Winner, Cello.

Cinderella
2019-02-14 19:00 | VA
Dreams magically transform into reality with one enchanted night at a ball, where a girl with a kind and gentle spirit finds her happily ever after. Cinderella, her Fairy Godmother, stepsisters, and the Prince will grace the Carpenter Theatre stage over Valentine’s Day weekend. Filled with gusty humor and lyrical romance, Malcolm Burn’s Cinderella offers a unique telling of a centuries-old story that still touches our hearts today.

Cinderella
2019-02-15 19:00, 2019-02-16 14:00, 2019-02-16 19:00, 2019-02-17 13:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States

For the Love of Music Gala 2019: Honoring Music Director Steven Smith
2019-02-16 18:30 - 22:00 | Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W Broad St, Richmond , VA, 23220, United States
Join us for a Legacy of Music Gala Event, For the Love of Music: Honoring Music Director Steven Smith
Event details:
6:30 pm | Cocktails & Silent Auction
7:30 pm | Dinner, Remarks & Live Auction
9:00 pm | Post-Dinner Entertainment
Tickets are no longer on sale but you can still bid our silent auction items, even if you aren’t able to attend the event!

Thank you to our generous sponsors:
PRESENTING SPONSOR:

PLATINUM SPONSORS:

GOLD SPONSORS:

SILVER SPONSORS:

BRONZE SPONSORS:

IN KIND SPONSORS:

HONORARY HOSTS:
Meta & John Braymer
Betty Neal & Ronald Crutcher
Cheryl & Stephen Goddard
Nancy & Bob Hill
Mary & Ted Linhart
Tara & Chris Matthews
Caroline & Joe Murillo
Ruth & Richard Szucs
Marcia & Harry Thalhimer
Anne Kenny-Urban & Bill Urban
Ludi & Butch Webber

Tucker-Boatwright Festival, "South Asian Connections"
2019-02-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of Music, 38 Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA, 23226, United States
This evening’s performance features Reena Esmail’s Avartan and a new piece for an Indian singer and orchestra; Shirish Korde’s Lalit for cello, tabla, and chamber orchestra; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6.
This event is part of the Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature and the Arts. Learn more.
Learn more about Reena Esmail, Guest Composer.

Adult
$36
UR Student
Free

Senior (62+):
$32
UR Employee
Free

Child (0-12)
$18
Group (20+)
$32

Beethoven in Brandermill
2019-02-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Brandermill Church, 4500 Millridge Parkway, Midlothian, VA, 23112, United States
“How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass and around rocks. No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees, and rocks produce the echo which man desires to hear.” Beethoven spent his summers in the country and it was there he did his most productive work. Beethoven composed most of his Symphony No. 6, what he himself called his Pastoral symphony, in the “delicious wooded environs of Heiligenstadt.”
Mozart wrote the Overture to “Don Giovanni,” K. 527, the night the opera’s final dress rehearsal had been performed. As his wife told him stories to keep him awake and entertained, the composer dozed off, eventually falling into a deep sleep. Upon waking, Mozart wrote and completed the Overture within two hours. Mozart’s biographer Ernest Newman insists that the story is true. Composition for Mozart “meant developing the work in his head; he found the business of writing it out rather tiresome, and he would often postpone it as long as he could. . . . the Overture to Don Giovanni had been worked out in his head long before . . . all he had to do on that historic night was to put the notes on paper.”
The Symphony will also perform Avartan by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail.
Learn more about Reena Esmail, Guest Conductor.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Program Notes
This concert will be held at: The Brandermill Church, 4500 Millridge Parkway, Midlothian, VA 23112

Sponsored by Chesterfield County Parks & Recreation

Metro Collection 3
2019-02-24 15:00 - 17:00 | Blackwell Auditorium at Randolph-Macon College, 204 Henry Street, Ashland, VA, 23005, United States
Enjoy classical music in an intimate setting. Metro concerts feature smaller scale works from the classical repertoire and newer pieces by contemporary composers. Richmond Symphony musicians are often featured soloists.
Mozart wrote the Overture to “Don Giovanni,” K. 527, the night the opera’s final dress rehearsal had been performed. As his wife told him stories to keep him awake and entertained, the composer dozed off, eventually falling into a deep sleep. Upon waking, Mozart wrote and completed the Overture within two hours. Mozart’s biographer Ernest Newman insists that the story is true. Composition for Mozart “meant developing the work in his head; he found the business of writing it out rather tiresome, and he would often postpone it as long as he could. . . . the Overture to Don Giovanni had been worked out in his head long before . . . all he had to do on that historic night was to put the notes on paper.”
“How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass and around rocks. No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees, and rocks produce the echo which man desires to hear.” Beethoven spent his summers in the country and it was there he did his most productive work. Beethoven composed most of his Symphony No. 6, what he himself called his Pastoral symphony, in the “delicious wooded environs of Heiligenstadt.”

Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Learn more about Reena Esmail, Guest Composer.
Program Notes

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Discovery Concert: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
2019-02-28 10:30 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
For very young listeners, this 40-minute concert serves as an introduction to the orchestra and families of instruments. We will welcome Michael Boudewyns from Really Inventive Stuff back to the stage as he shares The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, beautifully set to the music of Francis Poulenc.
Learn more about Michael Boudewyns.
**Inclement weather date for Feb. 28th performance: April 9 at 11:30am

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Discovery Concert: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
2019-03-01 09:45 - 10:45 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
For very young listeners, this 40-minute concert serves as an introduction to the orchestra and families of instruments. We welcome Michael Boudewyns from Really Inventive Stuff back to the stage as she shares The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, beautifully set to the music of Francis Poulenc.
Learn more about Michael Boudewyns.
**Inclement weather date for March 1 performance: April 10 at 9:45am and 11:30am

Series Sponsor
Pre-Concert Festival Sponsor

Instrument Petting Zoo Sponsor

Discovery Concert: The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
2019-03-01 11:30 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
For very young listeners, this 40-minute concert serves as an introduction to the orchestra and families of instruments. We will welcome Michael Boudewyns from Really Inventive Stuff back to the stage as he shares The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, beautifully set to the music of Francis Poulenc.
Learn more about Michael Boudewyns.
**Inclement weather date for March 1st performance: April 10th at 9:45am and 11:30am

Series Sponsor
Pre-Concert Festival Sponsor

Instrument Petting Zoo Sponsor

The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
2019-03-01 19:00 | Brunswick High School, 2171 Lawrenceville-Plank Road, Lawrenceville, VA, 23863, United States
Pack your trunks! You’re invited to Babar’s coronation! Jean de Brunhoff’s popular children’s story of one little elephant’s epic rise from rags to riches is eloquently set to music by Francis Poulenc, and expressively re-imagined by Really Inventive Stuff with all the enthusiasm and pomp worthy of a royal gathering. Long live King Babar!

The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant
2019-03-02 11:00 - 12:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
Pack your trunks! You’re invited to Babar’s coronation! Jean de Brunhoff’s popular children’s story of one little elephant’s epic rise from rags to riches is eloquently set to music by Francis Poulenc, and expressively re-imagined by Really Inventive Stuff with all the enthusiasm and pomp worthy of a royal gathering. Long live King Babar!
Join us for a free pre-concert festival at 10am in Rhythm Hall, featuring our Instrument Petting Zoo. Enjoy interactive activities for the whole family that will enhance your concert experience.
Learn more about Chia-Hsuan Lin, Conductor.

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The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
2019-03-03 16:00 - 17:30 | Paramount Theater, 215 E Main S, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6
2019-03-08 18:30 - 19:30 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
Join Steven Smith and special guests as they take you on a 60 minute behind the scenes tour of some great orchestral works. Afterwards, head to an exclusive happy hour with Symphony musicians at Maya!
After he finished writing Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, “Pathetique,” Tchaikovsky confessed, “I consider this symphony the best thing I have ever done. In any case, it is the most deeply felt. And I love it as I have never loved any of my compositions.” In this piece, Tchaikovsky attempted to capture the essence of life and the fullness of human feeling. The first movement is characterized by an initial theme that is full of impulsive passion, followed by a second theme that is slow and hushed. The second and third movements divert from a traditional symphony, with a distorted waltz and an unexpected march, both based on descending melodic motives, giving it a brooding and sorrowful character. The symphony ends with the same gloominess with which it begins.
Richmond Symphony audiences know of Steven Smith as their Music Director. However, he is also an award-winning composer. Steven Smith says through his music, he attempts to convey the magnificence, breadth and life force of the natural world, “I believe in the inter-connectedness of all things. Through my compositions I hope to raise overall awareness of the importance of our environment, its residents, human and otherwise, and foster an appreciation and reverence for the world we all share.” Smith’s Kataklysmos was inspired by the ancient and continuing effects of geologic forces upon the earth’s landscape. Moving through volcanic eruption, stillness, evolution, and re-formation, the piece ends with boisterous rhythmic activity, reflecting emotions akin to childhood: feelings of awe at being surrounded by such a magical natural realm.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Program Notes

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Rachmaninoff 1 & Tchaikovsky 6
2019-03-09 20:00 - 22:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
Experience the power of exceptional music with the Richmond Symphony and Guest Artist Adam Neiman, piano. This Altria Masterworks concert will feature Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp Minor, Op.1, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, and Music Director Steven Smith’s Kataklysmos.
Grammy Award-nominee Adam Neiman has captured the attention of audiences and critics alike since his Los Angeles debut at age 11 at Royce Hall. He is hailed as one of the foremost pianists of his generation, with a distinguished international career and an encyclopedic repertoire that spans more than sixty concerti. Having performed with a number of leading orchestras and ensembles, Neiman is celebrated for his commanding musicianship and exceptional technique.
Rachmaninoff wrote and performed his First Piano Concerto while he was still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. After a disappointing initial reception, the composer eventually reworked the piece, refining its orchestral design, while maintaining its characteristically youthful enthusiasm. The piano’s dominant role in the piece was a clear vehicle to show off Rachmaninoff’s talent as a pianist. With effusive piano passages and sumptuous orchestral accompaniment, the listener will hear the emergence of all the musical skills the composer has become known and reputed for.
After he finished writing Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique,” Tchaikovsky confessed, “I consider this symphony the best thing I have ever done. In any case, it is the most deeply felt. And I love it as I have never loved any of my compositions.” In this piece, Tchaikovsky attempted to capture the essence of life and the fullness of human feeling. The first movement is characterized by an initial theme that is full of impulsive passion, followed by a second theme that is slow and hushed. The second and third movements divert from a traditional symphony, with a distorted waltz and an unexpected march, both based on descending melodic motives, giving it a brooding and sorrowful character. The symphony ends with the same gloominess with which it begins.
Richmond Symphony audiences know of Steven Smith as their Music Director. However, he is also an award-winning composer. Steven Smith says through his music, he attempts to convey the magnificence, breadth and life force of the natural world, “I believe in the inter-connectedness of all things. Through my compositions I hope to raise overall awareness of the importance of our environment, its residents, human and otherwise, and foster an appreciation and reverence for the world we all share.” Smith’s Kataklysmos was inspired by the ancient and continuing effects of geologic forces upon the earth’s landscape. Moving through volcanic eruption, stillness, evolution, and re-formation, the piece ends with boisterous rhythmic activity, reflecting emotions akin to childhood feelings of awe at being surrounded by such a magical natural realm.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Learn more about Adam Neiman, Piano.
Program Notes

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Guest Artist Sponsor
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Madama Butterfly
2019-03-15 20:00, 2019-03-17 14:30, 2019-03-19 19:30 | Harrison Opera House, 160 W Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk , 23510, United States
Puccini’s timeless masterpiece takes the Virginia Opera stage rendering this heartbreaking drama and mesmerizing score, featuring the poignant aria “Un bel di”. A tale of love and sacrifice set against a clash of cultures, Puccini’s use of authentic Japanese themes and soaring Italian lyricism creates a powerful emotional experience.

Classical Mystery Tour
2019-03-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
Imagine the Beatles playing their timeless hits live before your eyes. Well little darling, have we got news for you! The Beatles are back, this time accompanied by the Richmond Symphony in the Symphony Pops: Classical Mystery Tour – Saturday, March 16 at 8 pm at the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Featuring outstanding cover artists who capture the essence of this iconic group, this performance will take you on the musical tour of a lifetime. All you need is love – and a ticket!
Learn more about Chia-Hsuan Lin, Conductor.

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Richmond's Finest: Susan Greenbaum and The Richmond Symphony
2019-03-22 19:00 | The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen, 23060
One night only! Join us this year as The Center pairs Richmond favorites Susan Greenbaum and the Richmond Symphony on the Sara Belle November Stage in this popular annual concert series! Enjoy listening to some of Susan’s favorite originals and covers, including a few of her favorite Carpenters and Carole King tunes, all accompanied by the Richmond Symphony. A Fine time will be had by all at this Center exclusive.

Madama Butterfly
2019-03-23 20:00, 2019-03-24 14:00 | George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, MS2F5, Fairfax, 22030, United States

Madama Butterfly
2019-03-29 20:00, 2019-03-31 14:30 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States

Influence of the World: The Tucker-Boatwright Concert
2019-04-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
As a grand finale to conclude the University of Richmond’s Tucker-Boatwright Festival, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a concert of works inspired by non-Western traditions featuring the world premiere of a new work for chorus and orchestra by Reena Esmail as part of our Altria Masterworks series.
Despite disliking the term “impressionism” applied to his music, Debussy describes his three Nocturnes in almost painterly terms: Nuages (Clouds) renders the immutable aspect of the sky and the slow, solemn motion of the clouds, fading away in gray tones slightly tinged with white. Fetes (Festivals) gives us the vibrating, dancing rhythm of the atmosphere with sudden flashes of light. But the background remains persistently the same: the festival with its blending of music and luminous dust participating in the rhythm. Sirenes (Sirens) depicts the sea and its innumerable rhythm. Among the waves, silvered by moonlight is heard the mysterious song of the Sirens as they laugh and pass on. Work on the Nocturnes was not easy for Debussy. His personal life was a wreck. In financial trouble and broken up from his longtime mistress, he wrote, “The three Nocturnes have been infected by my private life, first full of hope, then full of despair, and then full of nothing!”
Like Debussy, Ravel is classified as an impressionist composer. His Rapsodie espagnole, is saturated with musical color; almost as breathtaking as the color of the impressionist painters. There is a certain vagueness of form in the music that is reminiscent of Monet and Turner. “Suggestion and atmosphere” are key ideas for the musical impressionists. Ravel’s fascination with Spanish culture is heard throughout the piece, permeated with the flavors of Spanish music.
In the late 1920s, the Canadian composer Colin McPhee “quite by accident heard [a] few gramophone records that were to change [his] life completely. The clear, metallic sounds were like the stirring of a thousand bells, delicate, confused, with a sensuous charm, a mystery that was quite overpowering.” McPhee moved to Bali where he quickly absorbed the culture. He started incorporating Balinese materials into his own music. Tabuh-Tabuhan was his first large-scale orchestral work to use Balinese musical material. Interested in fusing western orchestral traditions with Balinese motifs, McPhee considers it a purely personal work.
Learn more about Joanne Kong, Keyboard.
Learn more about Paul Hanson, Piano.
Learn more about Reena Esmail, Guest Composer.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Program Notes

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Influence of the World: The Tucker-Boatwright Concert
2019-04-14 15:00 - 17:00 | Carpenter Theatre, 612 East Grace Street, Richmond , VA, 23219, United States
As a grand finale to conclude the University of Richmond’s Tucker Boatwright Festival, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a concert of works inspired by non-Western traditions featuring the world premiere of a new work for chorus and orchestra by Reena Esmail, as part of our Altria Masterworks series.
Despite disliking the term “impressionism” applied to his music, Debussy describes his three Nocturnes in almost painterly terms: Nuages (Clouds) renders the immutable aspect of the sky and the slow, solemn motion of the clouds, fading away in gray tones slightly tinged with white. Fetes (Festivals) gives us the vibrating, dancing rhythm of the atmosphere with sudden flashes of light. But the background remains persistently the same: the festival with its blending of music and luminous dust participating in the rhythm. Sirenes (Sirens) depicts the sea and its innumerable rhythm. Among the waves, silvered by moonlight is heard the mysterious song of the Sirens as they laugh and pass on. Work on the Nocturnes was not easy for Debussy. His personal life was a wreck. In financial trouble and broken up from his longtime mistress, he wrote, “The three Nocturnes have been infected by my private life, first full of hope, then full of despair, and then full of nothing!”
Like Debussy, Ravel is classified as an impressionist composer. His Rapsodie espagnole, is saturated with musical color; almost as breathtaking as the color of the impressionist painters. There is a certain vagueness of form in the music that is reminiscent of Monet and Turner. “Suggestion and atmosphere” are key ideas for the musical impressionists. Ravel’s fascination with Spanish culture is heard throughout the piece, permeated with the flavors of Spanish music.
In the late 1920s, the Canadian composer Colin McPhee “quite by accident heard [a] few gramophone records that were to change [his] life completely. The clear, metallic sounds were like the stirring of a thousand bells, delicate, confused, with a sensuous charm, a mystery that was quite overpowering.” McPhee moved to Bali where he quickly absorbed the culture. He started incorporating Balinese materials into his own music. Tabuh-Tabuhan was his first large-scale orchestral work to use Balinese musical material. Interested in fusing western orchestral traditions with Balinese motifs, McPhee considers it a purely personal work.
Learn more about Joanne Kong, Keyboard.
Learn more about Paul Hanson, Piano.
Learn more about Steven Smith, Conductor.
Program Notes

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Richmond Symphony at West Creek
2019-04-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Hardywood Park Craft Brewery: West Creek, 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA, 23238, United States
More room for more fun! Join the Richmond Symphony for an exciting concert at Hardywood West Creek. The Richmond Symphony will be collecting donations in support of our music education programs in Goochland County Public Schools.This concert features works by Copland, Schubert, and Spohr, with soloist David Lemelin, Clarinet.
Copland paved the way for a truly American “classical” music, beginning with his work Music for the Theatre. Despite its title the composer admitted he “had no play or literary idea in mind. The title simply implies that at times this music has a quality which is suggestive of the theatre.” The budding nationalism that comes to fruition in Copland’s later works is evident in this piece. Copland turned to jazz to represent the American identity: “I was preoccupied with the idea of adding to the great history of serious music something with an American accent… [Jazz] was an easy way to be American.”
“Party Animal” isn’t quite the term that should be used to characterize Franz Schubert, but it is close. In his twenties, producing prodigious amounts of music, he lived the life of a “bohemian,” couch-hopping from friend’s houses and throwing the nineteenth century version of a jam session, called “Schubertiades.” The music of Gioacchino Rossini was currently the rage in Vienna and it seems that Schubert modeled much of this Symphony in C major on the light-hearted style of that Italian composer. The only performance this symphony received during Schubert’s lifetime was during one of those private house parties.
When Louis Spohr wrote his first concerto for clarinet, the instrument had only five keys, compared to the seventeen of a modern clarinet. He confessed that he really didn’t know what he was doing. Aside from the obvious virtuosic aspects of Spohr’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1, the piece contains some unusual elements. It is in a minor key, and the orchestra plays a slow introduction before fingerwork begins. The slow movement confines the accompaniment to just violins and cellos. In spite of the minor key, the third movement has a jaunty quality to it. Instead of ending with a technical flourish, there is a surprising and sudden fade to nothing.
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