Classically Speaking

So, what season is it now? Yes, it’s spring (despite the summery heat), but what else? Baseball, basketball, hockey season? Flu season? Allergy season? Duck or rabbit season? Silly season?

We’re coming to the end of most concert seasons. Music and theater groups usually organize their shows into seasons, and they generally follow the school year. Summers are vacation, or get their own mini-season. You can also often get pretty good discounts for subscribing to an entire season. 

Previously, I posted about the WV Symphony and Montclaire String Quartets announcing what they’ll be playing next season. Since then, some more groups have announced their line-up for the 2009/10:

The Wheeling Symphony will be joined by guest artists pianist Angela Cheng (interview), cellist Zuill Bailey, and Wheeling’s own Tim O’Brien. The music includes Handel’s Harp Concerto, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. The new season isn’t listed on their site yet, but it is featured in an article in the Wheeling News Register.  

The Fairmont Chamber Music Society has announced an intriguingly varied line-up of chamber groups, from a brass trio to a pianist recreating Haydn’s time. They're also bringing the Kandinsky Trio (interview) from that other Virginia.

The Ohio Valley Symphony, just over the border from West Virginia in Ohio, has also announced next year’s season. Guest violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn will be performing on the instrument that inspired The Red Violin , and later in the season they will team up with the Ohio University Choir to perform John Rutter’s Requiem. 

The Charleston Chamber Music Society doesn’t have their dates listed online yet, but I’ve heard that visiting performers will include the Garth Newel Piano Quartet, a chamber orchestra from France, and the Enso String Quartet.

The Huntington Symphony is mum on the fall, but they have three concerts planned for this summer. Decided by audience vote, one of their programs will include another piece by composer Scott Michal (interview). 

Just because we’re looking ahead doesn’t mean this year’s all done quite yet. There are still concerts coming in the next month with the WV Symphony (concert and an opera), the Wheeling Symphony, the Montclaire String Quartet, and the Alexander String Quartet at the Charleston Chamber Music Society.

Alas, I can't get out to hear and see all of them — I’m busy sawing away on the viola in South Pacific  (not classical, but definitely a classic).  If you know of anything else going on, or if you have a review of any concert you see: speak your mind!