Newburgh Symphony opens season with After the Rain

Posted 9/9/22

The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) opens its 28th season on September 10 with a colorful concert themed “After the Rain.” The performance, featuring works by Beethoven, Judith …

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Newburgh Symphony opens season with After the Rain

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The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) opens its 28th season on September 10 with a colorful concert themed “After the Rain.” The performance, featuring works by Beethoven, Judith Weir and Christopher Theofanidis, will begin at 7:30 pm at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.

Russell Ger, Music Director of the GNSO, said “Rain has long been my favorite natural element. It is so cleansing to see and hear the roar of water pouring from the sky, nourishing and nurturing all life. It is no wonder that composers have been inspired to incorporate it into their music. Beethoven creates a wonderfully vivid storm in his Sixth Symphony, replete with audio lighting, and followed by a warm hymn of thanksgiving after its passing. Weir imagines an exuberant and dazzling soundscape, lush in its colorations and cascading torrent of notes, which she said reminded her of the onset of the monsoon season in India.”

Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954 but grew up near London. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. She went on to Cambridge University, where her composition teacher was Robin Holloway, and in 1975 attended summer school at Tanglewood, where she worked with Gunther Schuller. After this, she spent several years working in schools and adult education in rural southern England, followed by a period based in Scotland, teaching at Glasgow University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Christopher Theofanidis has had performances by many leading orchestras from around the world, including the London Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Moscow Soloists, the National, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Detroit Symphonies, among many others. He has also served as Composer of the Year for the Pittsburgh Symphony during their 2006-7 season, for which he wrote a violin concerto for Sarah Chang.

In 2007 he was nominated for a Grammy award for best composition for his chorus and orchestra work, The Here and Now, based on the poetry of Rumi, and in 2017 for his bassoon concerto. His orchestral work, Rainbow Body, has been one of the most performed new orchestral works of the new millennium, having been performed by over 150 orchestras internationally.

“Theofanidis produces a piece based on the Buddhist notion of a Rainbow Body, where the physical form of an enlightened being is absorbed back into the universe upon its death.” Ger said. “It is wonderfully uplifting and a beautiful metaphorical conclusion to the concert.”

Ger also noted that “this concert exemplifies our desire to treat our wonderful audience to both classical favorites and exciting new pieces by lesser-known composers. This has long been a goal of the League of American Orchestras and we are proud that our musicians can rise to the occasion!”

Tickets – Balcony $50, Reserved $40, Open $35, Senior Citizen $25 – can be purchased online or at the door.

Call 845/913-7157 or visit newburghsymphony.org. Students are admitted free to open seating.