CenterStage's opening night

Richmond CenterStage, the much-debated and long-delayed downtown performing-arts center, finally opened to the public on Sept. 12 in a gala featuring artists from the nine “resident producing companies” that will perform regularly on its three stages. The largest among them, the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera and Richmond Ballet, will be the principal users of the center’s main hall, the 1,800-seat Carpenter Theatre. The Richmond Jazz Society, African American Repertory Theatre, Barksdale Theatre/Theater IV, the Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond Shakespeare and SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community) will use the complex’s smaller venues.

This gala, playing to a capacity crowd of more than 1,700, was devoted to musical-theatrical bits and pieces that were pretty clearly selected to engage the audience emotionally, to provide plenty of visual and aural stimulation, and to give the expanded technical capacities of the theater a workout. More than 200 performers, with simple but effective scenic elements, were efficiently hustled on and off the stage. Glitches, mainly in the amplification of voices, were minimal.

I grew up in the 1950s and ’60s golden age of television variety shows, but never acquired a taste for them. For those who like this sort of show, there was a lot to like. All the performers gave off appropriately good vibes; the African American Rep, Elegba and SPARC troupes made strongly positive impressions on many patrons experiencing them for the first time.

The symphony, conducted by Erin Freeman, opened the program brightly and energetically in the “Festive” Overture of Dmitri Shostakovich, and seemed to be in comparably sparkling form as it led off the second half in Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” Overture (“seemed to” because through most of the piece the houselights were still up and the audience was still returning to seats and chatting noisily). Sopranos Veronica Mitina and Elizabeth Andrews Roberts, tenor Derek Taylor and baritone Eugene Brancoveanu, who will star in the Virginia Opera’s forthcoming production of Puccini’s “La Bohème,” gave fine accounts, vocally and dramatically, of three of the opera’s big numbers. The symphony, conducted by Ron Matson, also sounded crisip and animated in Jonathan Romeo’s score for the finale of Stoner Winslett’s “Windows,” performed by the Richmond Ballet.

I was impressed by the African American Rep’s lead reciter of Langston Hughes’ verses and the singer of “Climb Every Mountain” from Theater IV’s forthcoming production of “The Sound of Music.” Their identities, alas, were buried in a program book that listed theatrical groups’ cast members but not their roles.

The program boasted personable emcees in Tim and Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s remarks could be a lesson in pertinence and brevity for politicians speaking at cultural events.

* * *

When the Carpenter Theatre, originally opened in 1928 as a Loew’s movie palace, was converted to a performing-arts center in 1983, opening night was a highbrow affair, with the eminent soprano Leontyne Price accompanied by the symphony. No stellar visitor took top billing in the debut of this second reincarnation of the hall; and the programming signaled the embracing of a broader definition of “the arts” by Richmond’s cultural, business and social establishments.

One couldn’t help but notice, though, that this was an embrace out of an older Richmond, almost entirely black and white.

Other than the appearance of two dancers from the Latin Ballet of Virginia in the Barksdale/Theater IV segment, there were no representations of Central Virginia’s growing and culturally vibrant communities of Latino and Asian descent, or of the region’s folk and folk-revival circles. Also absent were any performers from the contemporary/alternative arts community of young adults – an ironic omission, since they form the dominant indigenous culture of the neighborhood in which CenterStage lives.

It would have been impractical to cram more acts into a show whose juxtapositions – jazz scat-singing followed by verismo opera, African drums and dance segueing into Shakespeare sonnets – produced enough aesthetic whiplash as it was. Some presenters will diversify beyond their norm during the season – the symphony, for example, will feature a soloist playing the pipa (Chinese lute) in its November Masterworks program – and a few other gaps (bluegrass, gospel) will be filled in coming weeks.

Still, CenterStage has some way to go before it reflects the full range of cultures in Richmond today.

UPDATE: I'm reliably informed that Kara Charise Harman sang "Climb Every Mountain."

Wilkins in Hollywood

The Los Angeles Times' Greg Braxton profiles Thomas Wilkins, the Norfolk native and former associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony, now music director of the Omaha Symphony and resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony. Wilkins is conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in the finale of its summer series:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/09/black-conductor-leads-bowls-rio-finale.html

Best of [not available]

In one of the stranger basic collectors' guides I've ever encountered, critics of Britain's Telegraph recommend 100 best classical recordings . . .

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/6137471/100-Best-Classical-Recordings.html

. . . 21 of which are listed as "deleted."

They also recommend that you "throw away everything you have" by, among others, Vladimir Ashkenazy. Presumably excepting Ashkenazy's disc of Rachmaninoff's 24 preludes, which they listed among the essentials.

Va. Symphony executive resigns

Carla Johnson, president and executive director of the Virginia Symphony, has resigned after five years with the Hampton Roads-based orchestra.

Johnson oversaw efforts to eliminate some $2 million in debt that the orchestra had amassed before her arrival in 2004, but leaves as debt has climbed again to about $2 million. In the fiscal year that ended July 31, during which it obtained a loan of $500,000 from the Norfolk Economic Development Authority, the Virginia Symphony ran an operating deficit of $720,000, The Virginian-Pilot's Teresa Annas reports:

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/executive-director-virginia-symphony-orchestra-resigns

Beethoven for night-owls

Deutsche Welle, the German international radio service, will present free, live video streams of the nine Beethoven symphonies as performed at the Bonn Beethovenfest by the German Chamber Philharmonic, Paavo Järvi conducting, from Sept. 9-12. The concerts begin at 1:40 a.m. Eastern time. Access via www.dw-world.de/beethoven

2009-10 season overview

Time for an overview of Richmond’s 2009-10 classical season, as scheduled to date. (Several choruses and other community groups have yet to announce their schedules.)

The big change, of course, is the reopening of the Carpenter Theatre (formerly Carpenter Center), the main venue of the new Richmond CenterStage downtown arts complex. With its move back into the hall, the Richmond Symphony will reduce its migration around suburban venues to four pairs of concerts in a series dubbed Metro Collection. The symphony’s mainstage Masterworks series will pair concerts on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. The Virginia Opera will return to the Carpenter Theatre after five seasons in the Landmark Theater.

With symphony and opera events concentrated in the same hall, you might think there would be fewer multiple events on the same dates than in recent seasons. Not so, unfortunately. This season’s calendar is full of conflicting events and matinees followed closely by evening concerts. Some, such as Symphony Pops dates vs. Rennolds Chamber Concerts, conflict less obviously than others. In any case, series subscribers should be prepared to exchange tickets.

Here’s the lineup of major events, followed by links to previous Letter V posts and/or presenters’ Web pages with more details:

SEPTEMBER
12…Carpenter Theatre opening gala: Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, Richmond Ballet, et al.
16…eighth blackbird: “SPAM” (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
19...Richmond Symphony/Erin Freeman (Pocahontas State Park)
20…Paul Hanson & Joanne Kong, pianos (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
25-27...Alexander Paley Music Festival (First English Lutheran Church)
26-27…Richmond Symphony & Chorus/Alastair Willis (Carpenter Theatre)

OCTOBER
2/4…Richmond Symphony/Alastair Willis/Karen Johnson, violin (Collegiate School/Randolph-Macon College)
3...Marta Puig, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
4...Susanna Klein, violin & Dmitri Shteinberg, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
5…Matt Albert & Andrew McCain, violins (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
10…Richmond Symphony Pops/Christian Knapp (Carpenter Theatre)
10...Maia Quartet (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
10…Chestnut Brass Company (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
11...Sonia Vlahcevic, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
17-18…Richmond Symphony/Christian Knapp/Jeremy Denk, piano (Carpenter Theatre)
18…Christopher Marks, organ (Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church)
19…Shanghai Quartet/Lynn Harrell, cello (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
19...Russell Wilson, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
20...Charles West, clarinet (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
21…Thomas Hampson, baritone: “Song of American Project” (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
23, 25…Virginia Opera: “La Bohème” (Carpenter Theatre)
25…Judith Cline, soprano, & Cara Ellen Modisett, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
27...Oberon Quartet (Upper School Chapel, St. Christopher's School)
31…Richmond Symphony Lollipops/Erin Freeman (Carpenter Theatre)

NOVEMBER
1/2…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University/location TBA)
6…Balint Karosi, organ (Bethlehem Lutheran Church)
6-7…Third Practice Electroacoustic Festival (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
6/8…Richmond Symphony/Arthur Fagen/Ralph Skiano, clarinet (Bon Air Baptist Church/Randolph-Macon College)
7…Pacifica Quartet (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
9…LA Guitar Quartet/Jim Dale, narrator: “Ingenious Gentleman,” music of Cervantes’ time (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
10...Dmitri Shteinberg, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
14-15…Richmond Symphony/Arthur Fagen/Yang Wei, pipa (Carpenter Theatre)
16…Bruce Stevens, organ (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
16...Mary Bowden, trumpet (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
21-22...Opera Theatre VCU (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
27, 29…Virginia Opera: “Daughter of the Regiment” (Carpenter Theatre)

DECEMBER
4…Richmond Symphony & Chorus/Erin Freeman: “Messiah” (Carpenter Theatre)
4...VCU Holiday Gala (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
5-6…Richmond Symphony Pops & choruses/Erin Freeman: “Let It Snow” (Carpenter Theatre)
6...Richmond Choral Society holiday program (St. Mark's Episcopal Church)
6…University of Richmond Christmas Candlelight Service (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
7…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian: “Home for the Holidays” (Atrium, James Center)

JANUARY
12/14…Richmond Symphony/Karen Johnson, violin (Kingsway Community Church/Randolph-Macon College)
16-17…Richmond Symphony & Chorus/conductor TBA (Carpenter Theatre)
24…Jeremy McEntire, flute, & Charles Hulin, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
29…Orpheus Chamber Orchestra/Angela Hewitt, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
30…Richmond Symphony Pops/conductor TBA (Carpenter Theatre)
30…Capuçon-Angelich Trio (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
31...Ira Gold, double-bass (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)

FEBRUARY
5…Oliver Sachs lecture (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
6-7…Richmond Symphony/conductor TBA/Karen Johnson, violin (Carpenter Theatre)
7…Richard Becker, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
14…Shanghai Quartet/Yuja Wang, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
20…Wu Han, piano; David Finckel, cello, & Philip Seltzer, violin (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
20…Richmond Symphony Lollipops/Erin Freeman (Carpenter Theatre)
20…Arnaldo Cohen, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
23...Oberon Quartet (Bannard Chapel, St. Catherine's School)
27-28…Richmond Symphony/conductor TBA/Jon Nakamatsu, piano (Carpenter Theatre)
28…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
28…Christophe Montoux, organ (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church)

MARCH
1…Jennifer Cable, soprano, & Kenneth Merrill, harpsichord (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
3…eighth blackbird: “Slide,” works by Rinde Eckert & Steve Mackey (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
5, 7…Virginia Opera: “Don Giovanni” (Carpenter Theatre)
5/7…Richmond Symphony/Erin Freeman/Lynette Wardle, harp (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond/Randolph-Macon College)
10...Richmond Piano Trio (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
13…Richmond Symphony Pops/Arturo Sandoval, trumpet (Carpenter Theatre)
20-21…Richmond Symphony/Erin Freeman/Tai Murray, violin (Carpenter Theatre)
21…Jeremy Denk, piano (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)
21...Richmond Choral Society: "Women of Note" (St. Mark's Episcopal Church)
27…Jupiter String Quartet (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
28...Karen Johnson, violin & Joanne Kong, piano (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
28…Richard Becker & Doris Wylee Becker, pianos (Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond)

APRIL
11…UR Schola Cantorum: “Messiah” (Cannon Memorial Chapel, University of Richmond)
17…Peter Wispelwey, cello (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
19…Rachel Laurin, organ (Westminster Presbyterian Church)
24…Richmond Symphony/conductor TBA/Gil Shaham, violin (Carpenter Theatre)
30…Virginia Opera: “Porgy and Bess” (Carpenter Theatre)

MAY
2…Virginia Opera: “Porgy and Bess” (Carpenter Theatre)
3…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian/Concerto Competition winner (location TBA)
8…Richmond Symphony Lollipops/Erin Freeman (Carpenter Theatre)
9…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian/Concerto Competition winner (Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University)
15-16…Richmond Symphony & Chorus/conductor TBA/organist TBA (Carpenter Theatre)
23...Richmond Symphony/Erin Freeman (Pocahontas State Park)

JUNE
6...Richmond Choral Society: "A Sentimental Journey" pops program (St. Mark's Episcopal Church)
20…Richmond Philharmonic/Robert Mirakian (The Gardens at Sunday Park, Brandermill)


RICHMOND SYMPHONY:
http://www.richmondsymphony.com/
http://letterv.blogspot.com/2009/03/richmond-symphony-2009-10.html

VIRGINIA OPERA:
http://www.vaopera.org/
http://letterv.blogspot.com/2008/11/virginia-opera-2009-10.html

MODLIN CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND:
http://www.modlin.richmond.edu/
http://letterv.blogspot.com/2009/06/ur-modlin-center-2009-10.html

VCU MUSIC & RENNOLDS CHAMBER CONCERTS:
www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html
http://letterv.blogspot.com/2009/05/vcu-rennolds-concerts-2009-10.html

ALEXANDER PALEY MUSIC FESTIVAL:
http://www.paleyfestival.info/

RICHMOND CHAPTER, AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS:
www.richmondago.org/programs/recital.cfm

RICHMOND PHILHARMONIC:
http://www.richmondphilharmonic.org/

RICHMOND CHORAL SOCIETY:
http://www.richmondchoralsociety.org/schedule.html

September 2009 calendar

Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student, group and other discounts may be offered.

SCOUTING REPORT

* In and around Richmond: The newly renovated Carpenter Theatre of Richmond CenterStage opens with a gala variety show, including performances by the Richmond Symphony and singers from the Virginia Opera, on Sept. 12; and the symphony, with music-director candidate Alastair Willis conducting and the Symphony Chorus singing Orff’s "Carmina Burana," opens its Masterworks season on Sept. 26-27. . . . Pianist Alexander Paley returns for the 12th year of his Richmond music festival, featuring Rachmaninoff’s 24 preludes and rarely heard music by Czerny, Rimsky-Korsakov and Arensky, Sept. 25-27 at First English Lutheran Church.

* New and/or different: The Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Sept. 6-20 at the University of Virginia and Paramount Theater, features contemporary pieces by John Harbison, Steve Mackey and Chen Yi alongside more standard chamber fare. . . . eighth blackbird launches the 2009-10 classical season at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Arts Center on Sept. 16 with "SPAM," a program of rock-influenced contemporary chamber works by Mayke Nas, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Marc Mellits and Bent Sørensen. . . . Also at UR, pianists Joanne Kong and Paul Hanson play Messiaen’s epic "Visions de l’Amen," along with music of Stravinsky and Ravel, on Sept. 20. . . Violinists Zachary De Pue and Nicholas Kendall and double-bassist Ranaan Meyer play Jennifer Higdon’s "Concerto 4-3" with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony, Sept. 26 at Strathmore in the Washington suburbs. . . . . Indian classical vocalist Vatsala Mehra performs on Sept. 27 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. . . . The Australian Chamber Orchestra presents a musical world tour, including evocations of the Middle East by composer and oud player Joseph Tawadros, Sept. 30 at the Kennedy Center.

* Star turn: Pianist Evgeny Kissin plays Chopin with Iván Fischer and Washington’s National Symphony in its season-opening concert, Sept. 26 at the Kennedy Center.

* Bargain of the month: Alexander Paley’s three concerts of piano and chamber works, Sept. 25-27. (Free)

* My picks: eighth blackbird’s "SPAM," Sept. 16, and the two-piano program by Joanne Kong and Paul Hanson, Sept. 20, both at the University of Richmond. . . . The Richmond Symphony’s Masterworks opener, Sept. 26-27 at the Carpenter Theatre. . . . Alexander Paley and Pei-Wen Chen playing Rimsky-Korsakov’s rarely heard Suite from "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya," along with Paley, clarinetist Charles West, violinist Kathy Judd and cellist Tom Shaw playing chamber works by Brahms and Chopin, Sept. 27 at First English Lutheran Church in Richmond.


Sept. 6 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Soovin Kim & Jesse Mills, violins
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Nicholas Cords, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Anthony Manzo, double-bass
Julia Gallego, flute
Benjamin Hochman, piano
Ysaÿe: "Caprice d’après l’etude en forme de Valse de Saint-Saëns"
Mendelssohn: Piano Sextet in D major, Op. 110
John Harbison: "Six American Painters"
Bach: "Brandenburg" Concerto No. 5
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 6 (8 p.m.)
West Lawn, U.S. Capitol, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Emil de Cou conducting
Labor Day Concert
Free
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 8 (8 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
Bryan Hooten, trombone
Program TBA
Free
(804) 828-6776
www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 10 (8 p.m.)
Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Jesse Mills, violin
Timothy Summers, violin & viola
Amadi Azkiwe, viola
Raphael Bell, cello
Julia Gallego, flute
Igor Begelman, clarinet
Rieko Aizawa & Benjamin Hochman, pianos
Mozart: Trio, K. 498, for clarinet, viola and piano ("Kegelstatt")
Steve Mackey: "Micro-Concerto" for percussion and small ensemble
Henry Cowell: "Set of Five" for violin, piano and percussion
Mozart-Czerny: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 11 (8 p.m.)
Ferguson Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Sept. 12 (8 p.m.)
Chrysler Hall, 201 Brambleton Ave., Norfolk
Sept. 13 (2:30 p.m.)
Sandler Arts Center, 201 Market St., Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falletta conducting
Smith: "The Star Spangled Banner"
Ward: "America the Beautiful"
Stravinsky: "Fireworks"
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor")
Benedetto Lupo, piano
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
$25-$85
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Sept. 12 (8 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
CenterStage Opening Gala
Richmond Symphony
Erin Freeman conducting
Virginia Opera members
Richmond Jazz Society’s Generations of Jazz
Richmond Ballet members
Theatre IV-Barksdale members
Richmond Shakespeare members
African American Repertory Theatre
Elegba Folklore Society
SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community)
Program TBA
$35-$100
(804) 343-0144
www.richmondcenterstage.com

Sept. 12 (8 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman conducting
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story"
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro for strings
Stravinsky: "Le sacre du printemps" ("The Rite of Spring")
$35-$55
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.gmu.edu/cfa/calendar

Sept. 12 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 13 (2 p.m.)
Sept. 14 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Sept. 19 (7 p.m.)
Sept. 20 (2 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington
Washington National Opera
Michele Mariotti & Joseph Mechavich conducting
Rossini: "The Barber of Seville"
Simone Alberghini & Marco Caria (Figaro)
Lawrence Brownlee & Juan Francisco Gatell (Count Almaviva)
Silvia Tro Santafé & Ketevan Kemoklidze (Rosina)
Donata DiStefano & Valeriano Lanchas (Bartolo)
Eric Owens & Grigory Soloviov (Don Basilio)
David Gately, stage direction
in Italian, English captions
$25-$275
(800) 876-7372
www.dc-opera.org

Sept. 13 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Axel Strauss & Timothy Summers, violins
Amadi Azikwe & Jessica Thompson, violas
Raphael Bell & Raman Ramakrishnan, cellos
Mendelssohn: String Quintet in B flat major, Op. 87
Chen Yi: "The Sound of Five" for string quintet
Beethoven: Sonata in A major, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer") (string quintet arrangement)
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
eighth blackbird
Mayke Nas: "Twelve Hands"
Mark-Anthony Turnage: "Grazioso!"
Marc Mellits: "Spam"
Bent Sørensen: "Deserted Churchyard"
$20-$38
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Sept. 17 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Carrie Stevens, mezzo-soprano
Mark Gothoni & Timothy Summers, violins
Melissa Reardon & Emile Cantor, violas
Raman Ramakrishnan & Laurentiu Sbarcea, cellos
Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Telemann: Sextet in G minor
Dowland: songs TBA
Bach: Cantata 54 ("Widerstehe doch der Sunde")
Brahms: String Sextet in B flat major, Op. 18
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 19 (6 p.m.)
Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield County
Richmond Symphony
Erin Freeman conducting
Pops program TBA
(Rain date: 6 p.m. Sept. 20)
Free
(800) 927-2787
www.richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 19 (8 p.m.)
University of Virginia Amphitheater, Charlottesville
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra
Kate Tamarkin conducting
"Symphony Under the Stars"
Program TBA
Free
(434) 924-3376
http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/music/performance/events/index.html

Sept. 20 (3 p.m.)
Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond
Joanne Kong & Paul Hanson, pianos
Stravinsky: Concerto for two solo pianos
Ravel: "Mother Goose" Suite
Messiaen: "Visions de l’Amen"
Free
(804) 289-8980
www.modlin.richmond.edu

Sept. 20 (4 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Guitar Series:
Potomac Guitar Quartet
Program TBA
$10
(804) 828-6776
www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 20 (3 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival:
Orpheus String Quartet
Mark Gothoni & Timothy Summers, violins
Emile Cantor, viola
Laurentiu Sbarcea, cello
Schubert: "Quartettsatz" in C minor
Bartók: String Quartet No. 6
Beethoven: String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op. 131
$16-$22
(434) 295-5395
www.cvillechambermusic.org

Sept. 20 (7 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Jeffrey Siegel, piano
"Keyboard Conversations: Chopin for Lovers!"
$19-$38
(888) 945-2468 (Tickets.com)
www.gmu.edu/cfa/calendar

Sept. 24 (8 p.m.)
St. Bede Catholic Church, 3686 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg
Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Regent University Theater, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach
Virginia Symphony
JoAnn Falleta conducting
Fauré: "Pelléas et Mélisande" Suite
Richard Strauss: Oboe Concerto
Sherie Aguirre, oboe
Jack Gallagher: Berceuse
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
$26-$46
(757) 892-6366
www.virginiasymphony.org

Sept. 25 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Stuart Circle, Richmond
Alexander Paley Festival:
Czerny: "Brilliant Grand Sonata" in C minor, Op. 10, for piano four-hands
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano
Rachmaninoff: 24 preludes
Alexander Paley, piano
Free
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Sept. 27 (3 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage, Sixth and Grace streets
Richmond Symphony
Alastair Willis conducting
Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale from "Samson et Delila"
Brahms: "Variations on a Theme by Haydn"
Orff: "Carmina Burana"
Anya Matanovic, soprano
Marcus Shelton, tenor
Richard Zeller, baritone
Richmond Symphony Chorus
Erin Freeman directing
$17-$72
(800) 927-2787 (Ticketmaster)
www.richmondsymphony.com

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Stuart Circle, Richmond
Alexander Paley Festival:
Hindemith: Sonata for piano four-hands (1938)
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano
Mendelssohn: Sonata for clarinet and piano
Charles West, clarinet
Alexander Paley, piano
Arensky: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32
Kathy Judd, violin
Tom Shaw, cello
Alexander Paley, piano
Moszkowski: "Two Spanish Dances," Op. 65
Dvořák: Two Slavonic dances
Grieg: "Norwegian Dance," Op. 35, No. 2
Brahms: Two Hungarian dances
Ivo Kaltchev & José Ramos Santana, piano
Rachmaninoff: "Trio elegique"
Kathy Judd, violin
Tom Shaw, cello
Alexander Paley, piano
Free
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Sept. 27 (3:30 p.m.)
Monticello High School, 1400 Independence Way, Charlottesville
Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra
Kate Tamarkin conducting
Verdi: "Nabucco" Overture
Abinoni: Adagio for strings
Nino Rota: Bassoon Concerto
Elizabeth Roberts, bassoon
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 ("Italian")
(434) 924-3376
www.cvillesymphony.org

Sept. 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Cedric Tiberghien, piano
Chopin: Four ballades
Ravel: "Gaspard de la nuit"
Debussy: "Masques"
Debussy: "D’un cahier d’esquisses"
Debussy: "L’Isle joyeuse"
$40
(202) 785-9727 (Washington Performing Arts Society)
www.wpas.org

Sept. 26 (7 p.m.)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington
National Symphony Orchestra
Iván Fischer conducting
Glinka: "Russlan and Ludmilla" Overture
Kodály: "Dances of Galánta"
Sarasate: "Zigeunerweisen"
József Lendvay Jr., violin
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
Evgeny Kissin, piano
Richard Strauss: "Dance of the Seven Veils" from "Salome"
Johann Strauss II: "On the Beautiful Blue Danube"
$25-$125
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 26 (8 p.m.)
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop conducting
Brahms: Hungarian dances Nos. 1, 3, 10
Jennifer Higdon: "Concerto 4-3"
Zachary De Pue & Nicholas Kendall, violins
Ranaan Meyer, double-bass
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
$25-$80
(877) 276-1444 (Baltimore Symphony box office)
www.strathmore.org

Sept. 27 (3:30 p.m.)
First English Lutheran Church, Monument Avenue at Stuart Circle, Richmond
Alexander Paley Festival:
Brahms: Clarinet Trio
Charles West, clarinet
Tom Shaw, cello
Alexander Paley, piano
Chopin: Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 8
Kathy Judd, violin
Tom Shaw, cello
Alexander Paley, piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya"
Alexander Paley & Pei-Wen Chen, piano
Free
(804) 355-9185
www.paleyfestival.info

Sept. 27 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Vatsala Mehra, Indian classical vocalist
"An Evening of Ghazals, Sufi and Geet"
$40-$60
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognetti conducting
Handel: Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op. 6, No. 7
Carl Vine: "Smith’s Alchemy"
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro for strings
Ravel-Tognetti: Kaddish
Ravel-Tognetti: "The Eternal Enigma"
Paganini-Tognetti: Caprice No. 5
Bartók: Divertimento for strings
$45
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org

Sept. 30 (7 p.m.)
Vlahcevic Concert Hall, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Park Avenue at Harrison Street, Richmond
VCU Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Terry Austin directing
Program TBA
$5
(804) 828-6776
www.vcu.edu/arts/music/dept/events/index.html

Sept. 30 (7:30 p.m.)
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Richard Tognetti conducting
Robert Saxton: "Birthday Piece for Richard Rodney Bennett"
Anon. (Bolivia): "Sonata Chiquitanas XVIII" (movements 1-2)
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 7
Trad. Sephardic: "Yo era niña de casa alta"
Shostakovich: Prelude and Scherzo, Op. 11, for string octet
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Andante for strings
Pink Floyd: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (parts 1-5)
Joseph Tawadros: "Rose," "Dahab," other works TBA
Joseph Tawadros, oud
James Tawadros, percussion
$45
(800) 444-1324
www.kennedy-center.org