The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra opens its 70th Season on September 29th at 8:00 PM. The concert will be held at the Naugatuck Valley Community College Fine Arts Center and will feature two renditions of the famed Romeo and Juliet story. The concert also features local cellist Mihai Marica performing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a rococo theme.

The concert will begin with Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from the musical West Side Story. This musical is a modern day version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and this piece tells the complete story of tragic love that we are all familiar with and uses the exciting, melodic music that Bernstein is known for.

The first half of the concert will also feature Mihai Marica with

Mihai Marica joins the WSO for our first concert of the 2007-2008 Season.

Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a rococo theme. This elegant piece highlights Mihai’s technical and passionate abilities on the cello. Mihai has performed regularly with the Waterbury Symphony for the past several years, and during the last year he has begun to garner international attention with his performances, including winning first prize at the Luis Sigall International Competition, held in Chile.

The second half of the concert features several movements from two of Serge Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suites. The movements selected include several of the favorite characters and scenes from Romeo and Juliet, including Friar Laurence, the Montagues, the Capulets, and of course the famous balcony scene.

Prior to the start of the concert, Maestro Leif Bjaland will host a pre-concert lecture to discuss the music on the concert; and there will also be a post-concert discussion with Maestro Bjaland, cellist Mihai Marica and a couple of musicians from the symphony to discuss your experiences at the concert.

Tickets for the concert are $40, $30, $15 and $5 for Students, and can be purchased by calling the WSO office at 203-574-4283 or by visiting our E-Box Office.

The Waterbury Symphony thanks The Eastern Company, Naugatuck Savings Bank and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism for their support of this concert.