The premier season of The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra (formerly known as The Williamsburg Symphonia) opens October 2016 with five Masterworks concerts scheduled between October and May 2017. Music Director Janna Hymes embarks on her 13th season at the podium with a dynamic series programmed to showcase the talents of several up-and-coming guest artists as well as the outstanding musicianship of the orchestra.
Guest artists join the orchestra in October, March and May. The season opens with “Soprano Sensation” featuring guest vocalist Julia Bullock. Hailed by The New York Times as a “striking soprano” who “gave a ravishingly visceral” performance at her Carnegie Hall debut, Bullock will sing works by Villa-Lobos, Poulenc, Weill and Gershwin. Prior to performing with The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra in October, Ms. Bullock will make guest appearances with the LA Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Mostly Mozart Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York, NY.
The third Masterworks concert of the season, “Piano Virtuoso,” features guest musician Alessio Bax, described in Gramophone Magazine as “clearly among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public.” Bax will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 5 in E-flat major, op. 73, “Emperor.” Mr. Bax recently released Lullabies for Mila, a compilation CD of his classical music recordings culled for and dedicated to his young daughter.
Wrapping up its 33rd season in grand style, The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra presents “Fireworks Finale” on May 20, 2017, with guest violinist Elena Urioste. She joins the orchestra to perform Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35, between works by Falla and Tchaikovsky. Just before appearing with WSO for the season finale, Ms. Urioste will make her Kennedy Center recital debut in Washington, DC, in April. She was recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist and has been featured on the cover of Symphony magazine.
In between hosting guest artists, WSO presents “The Great Symphony” in November 2016 and “Hidden Gem” in April 2017. The second Masterworks concert of the season features works by Delius, Faure and Prokofiev followed by Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, while the fourth includes works by Verdi, Mozart and Nielsen.
Longtime subscribers will note a change from the usual schedule of Monday and Tuesday night performances for this year’s season subscription concerts. This change was made to accommodate the Kimball Theatre’s live performance schedule, as well as the schedules of the guest artists and musicians. After the season opener, the November, March and April concerts scheduled at the Kimball are still performed on two consecutive weeknights, but not the traditional Monday and Tuesday. The final concert of the season is scheduled as a single weekend performance rather than two weeknights and will be held in a different venue. As previously noted, “Fireworks Finale” is currently scheduled to be held at William & Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa Hall on May 20, 2017.
The WSO will continue with its broad range of annual educational initiatives, which reach approximately 7,500 students each year. These include Masterclasses with guest artists, the need-based Instruments for Kids program, and classical music education and instrumental coaching through the Meet the Musicians initiative. In addition, upcoming community collaborations include two new family-friendly programs. On December 17th and 18th, The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra is planning to partner with the Virginia Regional Ballet to perform The Nutcracker at Phi Beta Kappa Hall. In addition, WSO will perform on January 7, 2017, at the Williamsburg Regional Library as part of the library’s Dewey Decibel concert series.
The Symphony’s annual family-oriented Holiday Pops concert during Colonial Williamsburg’s Grand Illumination weekend will be presented on December 3rd and 4th, at 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. each day, at the KimballTheatre. This year’s guest artist is Brett Cahoon, lead singer of Good Shot Judy. Back by popular demand is the third annual Cabaret & Cocktails jazz pops concert, a sell-out event two years running, tentatively scheduled for winter 2017.
Subscriptions for the 2016-2017 season are now on sale; subscribers save on both individual Masterworks and Holiday Pops tickets. For tickets and subscriptions, or for information about concert sponsorship by individuals and businesses, call (757) 229-9857. For more information, visit www.williamsburgsymphony.org and follow The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra on Facebook and Twitter @WMBGSymphony.