NEWS RELEASE
Date: January 5, 2018
For Immediate Release
Photos Available Upon Request
Contact: Jeana Varney
Phone: 417.864.6683
Cell: 417.349.0906
jeana@springfieldmosymphony.org
411 N. Sherman Parkway
Springfield, MO 65802
Springfield Symphony to feature 2017 Hellam Young Artists’ Competition winner
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony will feature the 2017 Hellam Young Artists’ Competition winner, Chae-won Hong on Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 at its Romantic Revolution classical concert on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.
“We are starting off 2018 with some of my favorite music, including pieces by three of my favorite composers, Brahms, Shostakovich, and Wagner,” said Kyle Wiley Pickett, music director/conductor for the Springfield Symphony. “These are all masters of powerful music, each in their own way–Brahms is emotional but elegant, Shostakovich is dark and stormy, and Wagner is bombastic but beautiful. Anyone who knows me knows that Brahms is probably my absolute favorite composer. We’re playing his First Symphony, which was hailed by the musical world as “Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony,” meaning that the torch had finally been passed from Beethoven to the next great German composer of the symphony. I always say that Brahms is the ideal mixture of head and heart. In his First Symphony you’ll hear gorgeous, lush, heart-on-your-sleeve melodies, all put together in truly brilliant form.”
Pickett will deliver a pre-concert talk from the stage at 6:30 p.m. and pre-concert music will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall box office, and can be purchased by calling (417) 836-7678 or online at www.missouristatetix.com. Ticket prices range from $17 – $33 and discounts are available for students and seniors.
“I also love the music of Shostakovich, and we’re featuring Chae-won Hong, our 2017 Hellam Winner, on his stormy, dramatic, and incredibly virtuosic cello concerto,” said Pickett. “Our Wagner selection from Lohengrin is just flashy, spectacular, and energetic. It’ll be a great way to kick off 2018.”
Join Pickett at a free monthly event, Behind the Baton, at Ocean Zen on Thursday, January 18 (4117 S National Ave) for the opportunity to meet guest artist Chae-won Hong and to hear Pickett talk about the music that will be performed at the January 20 concert. The meet & greet begins at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Pickett is available for any interviews or questions. Please feel free to email him at kwpickett@gmail.com or call at (417) 837-9422. The concert is being sponsored by RMMC Certified Public Accountants, Fast Frames/Gallery, and KY3.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
###
