Virginia Symphony 2014-15

Pianist Emanuel Ax will open the 2014-15 season of the Virginia Symphony, joining Music Director JoAnn Falletta and the Hampton Roads-based orchestra in works of Mozart and Richard Strauss in three concerts in September.

Other guests of the orchestra in the coming season will be violinist-conductor Cho-Liang Lin (playing Mozart), violinists Alexandre de Costa (Tchaikovsky) and Tamas Kocsis (Bruch), cellist Amit Peled (Dvořák), pianists Prisca Benoit (Beethoven) and Sara Davis Buechner (Chopin), and vocal soloists to be announced, with the Virginia Symphony Chorus, in Handel’s “Messiah” and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Major orchestral repertory next season includes Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan,” Ravel’s “La Valse,” Mahler’s First Symphony, Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, Copland’s Third Symphony, Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony (No. 3), Beethoven’s First Symphony, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, and the Prelude and “Liebestod” (“Love-Death”) from Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.”

For information on ticket subscription packages, call the Virginia Symphony box office at (757) 892-6366, or visit www.virginiasymphony.org

The Virginia Symphony’s 2014-15 program lineup:

CLASSICS
at Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News; Chrysler Hall, Norfolk; Sandler Arts Center, Virginia Beach

Sept. 19 (Newport News), Sept. 20 (Norfolk), Sept. 21 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Richard Strauss: “Don Juan;” Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 14; Richard Strauss: Burleske for piano and orchestra (Emanuel Ax, piano); Ravel: “La Valse.”

Oct. 17 (Newport News), Oct. 18 (Norfolk), Oct. 19 (Virginia Beach) – Cho-Liang Lin conducting. Elgar: Serenade for strings; Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 (Cho-Liang Lin, violin); Mozart: Symphony No. 40.

Nov. 7 (Newport News), Nov. 8 (Norfolk), Nov. 9 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Prisca Benoit, piano); Mahler: Symphony No. 1.

Dec. 5 (Newport News), Dec. 6 (location TBA) – Benjamin Rous conducting. Handel: “Messiah” (soloists TBA, Virginia Symphony Chorus).

Jan. 30 (Newport News), Feb. 1 (Norfolk), Feb. 2 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Roussel: “Bacchus et Ariane” Suite No. 2; Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”) (soloists TBA, Virginia Symphony Chorus).

Feb. 13 (Newport News), Feb. 14 (Norfolk), Feb. 15 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Wagner: Prelude and “Liebestod” from “Tristan und Isolde;” Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture; Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2.

Feb. 27 (Newport News), Feb. 28 (Norfolk), March 1 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Libby Larsen: “On the Floor;” Dvořák: Cello Concerto (Amit Peled, cello); Copland: Symphony No. 3.

March 20 (Newport News), March 21 (Norfolk), March 22 (Virginia Beach) – Benjamin Rous conducting. Rimsky-Korsakov: “Russian Easter” Overture; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9; Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (Alexandre de Costa, violin).

REGIONAL CLASSICS
at Crosswalk Community Church, Williamsburg; Regent University Theater, Virginia Beach; Phi Beta Kappa Hall, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg

Nov. 13 (Crosswalk, Williamsburg), Nov. 15 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Milhaud: “Le boeuf sur le toit” (“The Bull on the Roof”); Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Sara Davis Buechner, piano); Beethoven: Symphony No. 1.

Dec. 3 (Virginia Beach), Dec. 4 (Crosswalk, Williamsburg) – Benjamin Rous conducting. Handel: “Messiah” (soloists TBA, Virginia Symphony Chorus).

Jan. 22 (Crosswalk, Williamsburg), Jan. 24 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. Hamilton Harty: “In Ireland;” Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Tamas Kocsis, violin); Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”).

March 12 (Phi Beta Kappa, Williamsburg), March 14 (Virginia Beach) – JoAnn Falletta conducting. J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3; Haydn: Sinfonia concertante (Vahn Armstrong, violin; Michael Daniels, cello; Sherie Aguirre, oboe; Laura Leisring, bassoon); Brahms: “Nänie,” “Schicksalslied” (Virginia Symphony Chorus).

POPS
at Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News; Chrysler Hall, Norfolk; Sandler Arts Center, Virginia Beach

Oct. 3 (Newport News), Oct. 4 (Norfolk) – Benjamin Rous conducting. “A Night in Motown” (Spectrum, guest artists).

Dec. 19 (Virginia Beach), Dec. 20 (Norfolk) – Robert Shoup conducting. Holiday Pops (guest soloists TBA, Virginia Symphony Chorus).

Feb. 6 (Newport News), Feb. 7 (Norfolk) – Benjamin Rous conducting. “At the Movies with John Williams.”

March 6 (Newport News), March 7 (Norfolk) – Benjamin Rous conducting. “The Music of Benny Goodman” (Sal Andolina, clarinet).

March 27 (Newport News), March 28 (Norfolk) – Benjamin Rous conducting. “Wicked Divas in Concert” (guest vocalists TBA).

PB&J FAMILY CLASSICS
at Sandler Arts Center, Virginia Beach

Oct. 26 – Benjamin Rous conducting. “Halloween Spooktacular.”

Nov. 30 – Benjamin Rous conducting. “Jingle Bell Jam.”

Jan. 25 – Benjamin Rous conducting. Poulenc: “Babar the Elephant” (narrator TBA).

March 15 – Benjamin Rous conducting. “The Animated Orchestra” (Gregory Smith, narrator).