Springtime in Seattle generally brings showers. They are very like the winter showers we’ve had, and the summer showers to come, but they are warmer than the winter version, and accompanied by budding trees and flowers. Spring is a welcome arrival. Sadly, it also means the end of the season for many of our music organizations. Seattle has a wealth of festivals, camps and workshops through the summer, but for the community orchestras it is time for final concerts and a few well-earned months off.
Here are some of the season closers coming up: Saturday, May 5th the Everett Philharmonic presents a “listener’s choice” concert. Music Director Dr. Paul-Elliott Cobbs leads a program including Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 by George Enescu, Romberg’s Concerto for Flute in b minor with Hal Ott, soloist, and the Symphony No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov. Concert begins at 7 pm at the Everett Civic Auditorium, 2415 Colby Avenue in Everett, WA.
On Sunday, May 6th at 6:00pm, the Octava Chamber Orchestra ends its season by presenting two new compositions for strings by women composers, as well as a pair of standards. The program includes Orchestral Invention for Strings by Terri Ji, and Mythos by Emily Cochran, Schumann’s great Cello Concerto in A minor with Benjamin Louwersheimer as soloist, and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. Performance is at Maple Park Church, 17620 60th Ave W in Lynnwood.
On Saturday May 12th, the Thalia Symphony Orchestra departs from its usual afternoon matinee format and presents an evening concert at 8:00 PM at Town Hall. Maestro Stephen Rogers Radcliffe leads a program including The Seasons by Glazunov and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #5 “The Emperor with Allan Dameron as piano soloist. Town Hall is located at 1119 Eighth Avenue in Seattle.
You can hear more Beethoven on Monday, May 14th when the Cascade Symphony Orcheatra and Music Director Michael Miropolsky welcome the Sno-King Community Chorale, directed by Frank DeMiero, in a joint presentation of Beethoven’s monumental 9th Symphony in D minor, the Choral. The concert also includes excerpts from Delibes’ ballet, Coppelia. The performance is at 7:30 PM at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Avenue N in Edmonds.
Lastly, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra closes out its season on Sunday, May 20th at 3:00 PM with a performance at Meaney Hall titled Everything is a Miracle. The concert includes Aaron Copland’s John Henry, Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 in D, the “Miracle”, Stokowski’s arrangement for orchestra of Debussy’s The Sunken Cathedral, and music from Parsifal by Wagner.
Hope you can support Seattle’s community orchestras by seeing at least one of these fine programs and help them close the season with a bang.
