The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia resumes in-person concerts on Saturday, October 2, 8:00pm, at Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia and Sunday, October 3, 3:30pm, at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center. Live performances ended in February, 2020, with the onset of the coronavirus.
While the Charlottesville Symphony’s woodwind and brass sections are sidelined by COVID restrictions, Music Director Benjamin Rous has crafted a one-hour program with no intermission that spotlights the orchestra’s string, harp, piano and percussion players. It opens with Wolfgang Amadè Mozart’s cheerful Divertimento in D Major, K.136, a miniature gem composed shortly before his sixteenth birthday. Serenade for Strings by Sir Edward Elgar remains one of his most popular works. Reminiscent of the English countryside, it shows his mastery of string writing.
Gustav Mahler’s famous Adagietto from his Symphony No. 5 – written as a wordless love letter to his fiancée , Alma – has been described at various times as pure poetry transformed into music, tender, brimming with emotion and sensuality. In contrast, “Escaramuza” by Gabriela Lena Frank is filled with pulsating rhythms and Latin American melodic elements inspired by the kampacha dance of the Inca warrior.
Rounding out the program is “Lyric Freeling” featuring four guest artists from the Charlottesville Ballet. As part of an ongoing collaborative partnership with the Charlottesville Symphony, the work was created by Keith Lee, the Charlottesville Ballet’s Artist Laureate, Resident Choreographer and Director of Diversity & Inclusion. It is set to the first movement of Antonín Dvorák’s Serenade in E Major, Op. 22.
Founded in 2007 with a unique mission for dancer wellness, Charlottesville Ballet is the only full-time professional dance company in the Charlottesville area.
“Know the Score” pre-concert lectures at Minor Hall on Saturday evenings have been temporarily suspended. In-depth program notes are posted on the orchestra’s website, www.cvillesymphony.org.
The University of Virginia requires that masks be worn at all times inside Old Cabell Hall. In addition to wearing a mask, everyone attending the October 3rd concert at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center will be required to provide proof of full vaccination or proof of a negative NAAT or PCR COVID test taken with 72 hours of arrival at the Center. A valid photo ID is also required. Patrons who are not able to show both will not be able to attend the performance and will be issued a ticket refund.
Free parking is available in the UVA Central Grounds Parking Garage, located on Emmet Street South on Saturday nights and at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center on Sunday afternoons. The Charlottesville Free Trolley stops at McCormick Road near the UVA Amphitheater, in close proximity to Old Cabell Hall. Both venues are wheelchair accessible.
Single tickets are $10-$45 for adults and $10 for students. UVA students may request one complimentary ticket in advance. Single tickets may be purchased at the University of Virginia Arts Box Office, (434) 924-3376, 12:00-5:00pm, Tuesday through Friday in the lobby of the UVA Drama Building at 109 Culbreth Road, or online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu.
All University of Virginia employees (faculty and staff of all UVA departments and professional schools) are entitled to a 20% discount on tickets to individual performances. This offer does not apply to subscriptions, the December Family Holiday concerts, Pops at the Paramount or previously purchased tickets.