NEWS RELEASE
Date: April 1, 2021 Contact: Lexi Locke
For Immediate Release Phone: 417.864.6683
Photos Available Upon Request Cell: 417.860.9690
Fax: 417.864.8967
lexi@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony brings crisp and light Schnitzel and Strudel with guest artist Giora Schmidt
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony (SSO) continues its “Comfort Food” season with its last classical concert of the 2020-21 season, Schnitzel and Strudel. These performances will take place on Saturday, April 10th at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. The program will feature Brahm’s Violin Concerto with violinist Giora Schmidt and Strauss’s lush Der Rosenkavalier Suite.
“The Brahms Violin Concerto is a piece I’ve conducted many times, but every time I hear it on the radio, it stops me from doing whatever I’m doing,” said Music Director and Conductor Kyle Wiley Pickett. “I have sat in my driveway to listen for half an hour, just to hear the end of this piece – it’s that magnificent and moving. The Brahms is a concerto, but what makes this piece exceptional is the way Brahms pairs the orchestra and the soloist as equal partners. It is so much fun for us as an orchestra to accompany.” Alongside the Springfield Symphony, violinist Giora Schmidt joins the Hammons Hall stage for the concerto.
“Giora was a soloist on my first season with the SSO,” said Pickett. “I hadn’t worked with him before his performance in 2013, and as soon as he started to play, I knew he was something special. He is a spectacularly talented and amazing violinist. I knew we had to have him back, and I can’t wait to play the Brahms with him.” While the Brahms Violin Concerto may take center stage, the concert wouldn’t be complete without Strauss’s Der Rosenkavlier Suite.
“I programmed this piece on my first concert as music director,” remarked Pickett. “Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier is probably my favorite opera. It is romantic and comic, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies that have ever been written or sung. This suite is for the orchestra alone – no singers – and it contains the gorgeous melodies and all of the comic waltzes from the 3.5 hour opera, condensed down to 25 minutes. It is a showcase piece for the orchestra, requiring virtuoso playing from all of the members of the SSO. I’m thrilled to return to it, now that the orchestra and I know each other so well.”
Single tickets are currently on sale at www.springfieldmosymphony.org/tickets and can be purchased until 12:00 PM on the day of the concert. Single tickets are $30 per ticket with limited availability for the 2:00 PM performance and livestream tickets start at $12 per household for the 7:30 PM performance. Season tickets are available for the afternoon performances. Join Pickett at the free LIVE event, Behind the Baton, on the Springfield Symphony Orchestra MO Facebook page. Behind the Baton provides the opportunity to meet Pickett and hear about the music that will be performed at the April 10th concert. The Facebook Live event takes place at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 8th.
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 Schnitzel and Strudel concerts are sponsored by Reliable Superstore, Judith Enyeart Reynolds, KY3/KSPR, Mediacom, and KSMU. For more information on Springfield Symphony health and safety guidelines, concerts and events, and more, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org.
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.
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