Penfield Symphony Orchestra's "From Beethoven to Mahler" Concert
*The event has already taken place on this date: Mon, 05/05/2025
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The Penfield Symphony Orchestra, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the Rochester community for more than 60 years, will present “From Beethoven to Mahler” on May 5, 2025, the fourth concert of the PSO’s 69th season and led by PSO Music Director Dr. Jared Chase.
The concert opens with Beethoven’s famous, stirring Overture to Egmont, written as incidental music to the Goethe play, which opens ominously, foreshadowing Egmont’s fate, but moving to heroism with one of Beethoven’s finest triumphant endings.
Next, the PSO features violinist Ryan Shaffer, the Jo Amish Young Artist Competition winner, who performs the second movement of Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem. Baal Shem is a three-movement work depicting Hassidic life and is dedicated to the "Baal Shem Tov," the given name for the founder of Hassidic Judaism. The second movement, “Nigun,” means “melody” or “improvisation,” and features powerful minor mode incantations for the violin designed to lift the performer and listeners into higher spiritual planes.
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 “Titan,” a monumental and deeply personal work that takes the listener on a dramatic and beautiful journey, concludes the concert. It showcases Mahler's innovative use of expanded orchestration, his ability to blend contrasting moods and styles, his depiction of the forces of nature, and his inclusion of exuberant folk dances. Mahler's symphony is a powerful, unforgettable musical experience.
This concert, which has received special support from a Monroe County Midsized Arts Grant, will be held on May 5, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Penfield High School Auditorium, 25 High School Drive in Penfield, New York. Tickets can be purchased online at www.penfieldsymphony.org, by phone at 585-872-0774, and at the door on the night of the concert. Tickets cost $15 for adults. For students of any age with a student ID, $1. Group rates are available for parties of six or more.
The Penfield Symphony Orchestra is a 90-piece orchestra whose goal is to enrich the Rochester community by providing fine music in a setting where both amateur and professional musicians can perform a variety of classical repertoire. For information on concerts and highlights, follow the Penfield Symphony Orchestra on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PenfieldSymphonyOrchestra, or visit the website at http://www.penfieldsymphony.org.
Penfield Symphony Orchestra: "From Beethoven to Mahler"
Monday, May 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Penfield High School Auditorium | 25 High School Drive, Penfield, NY
Tickets $15 ($1 for students)
Founded in 1955, the Penfield Symphony Orchestra (PSO) offers four classical music concerts per season to audiences of all ages. Amateur and professional musicians in the 90-piece orchestra enrich the Rochester community by providing fine classical, modern, and pops music. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the orchestra also sponsors an annual competition where young musicians audition to win recognition and an opportunity to solo with a symphony orchestra. Over its history, the PSO has commissioned many new works, and concerts have featured guest artists of local and national renown. The PSO Board of Directors and musicians are dedicated volunteers who are passionate about promoting arts and music and who, quite simply, like to make and perform great music together.
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