Saturday Evenings at 8 p.m. at UNCW Kenan Auditorium
Season Finale: Beethoven's Ninth
Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Wilmington Health
at Kenan Auditorium on the UNCW campus
Shelley Bard, soprano; Jami Rhodes, alto;
Joshua Collier, tenor; Curtis Campbell, bass
UNCW Choirs, Joe Hickman, director
Sponsored by
WHQR-FM, Media Sponsor
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Saturday, April 28th performance will be SOLD OUT in advance, but you can still attend the Wilmington Symphony's "Performance Prelude" rehearsal.
This will be a behind-the-scenes opportunity to see and hear the orchestra and chorus prepare Beethoven's rousing Ninth Symphony for concert performance.
WHEN: Friday, April 27th 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
WHERE: Kenan Auditorium, UNCW
ARRIVAL: Enter through the front door between 7:00 – 7:25 p.m..
ADMISSION: Tickets available at the door. Free for students; $5 for adults.
NOTE: Please listen quietly throughout as this is an important working rehearsal for our musicians.
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The Wilmington Symphony concludes its 40th Anniversary Season on Saturday evening April 28th at 8:00 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium with one of the musical masterworks for the ages — Beethoven's epic Ninth Symphony.
The performance of the spectacularly rousing Ninth Symphony, with its life-affirming "Ode to Joy," also marks the final chapter of the Wilmington Symphony's ambitious, multi-year Beethoven Symphony Cycle. Joining Conductor Steven Errante and the Wilmington Symphony will be the UNCW Choirs, directed by Joe Hickman and soloists soprano Rochelle Bard, mezzo-soprano Jami Rhodes, tenor Joshua Collier, and baritone Curtis Campbell.
Completed in 1824, the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. The Ninth Symphony was premiered on May 7, 1824 in Vienna, and was the composer's first on-stage appearance in twelve years. It has become one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and is considered by some to be the greatest piece of music ever written.
The Ninth Symphony also is universally considered to be among Beethoven's greatest works. American pianist and music author Charles Rosen has characterized it as a symphony within a symphony. The famous choral finale is the work's crowning glory. The symphony was the first example of a major composer using voices to create a choral symphony. This final movement is Beethoven's musical representation of Universal Brotherhood and is sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus. The text was taken from the "Ode to Joy," a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 with additions made by the composer.
Later composers of the Romantic period and beyond — including Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Antonin Dvorak, Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler — were influenced specifically by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. More recently, the Ninth Symphony has even influenced technology. Developers of the compact disc insisted that a CD be able to contain a complete performance of the Ninth Symphony, the longest known performance lasting 74 minutes.
Conductor Steven Errante will present a concert preview for 20 minutes starting at 7:00 p.m. just prior to the concert, providing background about the program and discussion of some pre-recorded highlights of the music to be played. Program notes for the concert are available HERE.
For tickets call Kenan Auditorium Ticket Office at 962-3500 or 1-800-732-3643 weekdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m. or Buy tickets securely online for this performance HERE. Reserved seats are $25, $23, and just $6 for students and youth under 17.
Praised by critics as an 'exquisite' singing actress, soprano Rochelle Bard has gained the attention of prestigious vocal competitions and has performed leading roles on the stages of throughout the US including her portrayal of Lucia di Lammermoor, deemed a 'knockout' with 'a haunting sense of vulnerability' by the San Francisco Chronicle.
A native of North Carolina, mezzo-soprano Jami Rhodes is currently Assistant Professor of Voice at East Carolina University. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from Louisiana State University, and is an active performer in a variety of genres.
Tenor Joshua Collier received his Bachelor of Music degree from the UNC School of the Arts as the A. J. Fletcher Opera Scholar and was subsequently accepted into the prestigious New England Conservatory for his graduate studies. Josh has recently performed in Tuscany, Italy in the role of Nemorino in L'Elisir D'Amore as a part of the Oberlin in Italy Summer Music Festival.
Baritone Curtis Campbell performs frequently throughout the Cape Fear Region. In addition to his work in the classical realm he has also recorded five solo CDs of contemporary and gospel music, and co-authored a full-length rock cantata "The Third Day" that has been performed in Detroit, Oklahoma City, and throughout North Carolina.