Continuing its celebration of its 85th Season, the Waterbury Symphony returns to the embrace of Newtown and surrounding audiences, a community that welcomed the Symphony with a sold out performance of its popular Winter Solstice Concert in 2021. The Edmond Town Hall will experience a thrilling ‘eight seasons’ in one afternoon on Sunday November 5th as the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra presents ‘Eight Seasons’, featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” first performed nearly 300 years ago, as well as “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” a series of tangos written by Argentina-born Astor Piazzolla in the 1960s.
Music Director and Conductor Leif Bjaland will lead the performance. Reflecting on the inspired pairing of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Buenos Aires influenced version, Bjaland shared, “Although one is placed in the North and one in the Southern Hemisphere, they each play on the natural and human changes that occur as the year passes. This performance fits into our theme of “Celebrating Joy” as the orchestra celebrates its 85th year. Edmond Town Hall has been a joyous setting for decades, so the setting and performance will make an auspicious fit.”
In an inspired pairing with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Waterbury Symphony returns to Newtown to perform Argentina-born composer Astor Piazzolla’s [shown here] Four Seasons of Buenos Aires – on Sunday, November 5th at the Edmond Town Hall.
In this unique performance, each season will be accompanied by a short poem inspired by the music. Vivaldi accompanied each of his seasons with an evocative poem, celebrating the joys of spring, winter, summer, and fall. Each line of the poems reflects, in an almost cinema graphic way, Vivaldi's music. From the vast reservoir of Spanish literature, Maestro Bjaland has similarly curated four seasonal poems to accompany Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for the November 5th concert.
Accompanying Waterbury Symphony’s professional orchestra musicians, U.S. Presidential Scholar recipient Julian Rhee, a violinist of growing renown, will be the featured soloist. Rhee, an acclaimed violin soloist is the honored recipient of the outstanding 1699 "Lady Tennant " Antonio Stradivari violin. The concert will be held on Sunday, November 5th, at 4 p.m. General admission tickets are $45, available online [BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE!
or by phone by calling WSO’s box office partner, The Palace Theater Box Office at (203) 346-2000 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We are thrilled to be returning to Newtown,” shared Waterbury Symphony’s Executive Director Doug Donato. “We’ve been experiencing a growing and enthusiastic following of the WSO from Newtown audiences, including with our sold out Winter Solstice performance in 2021. We are delighted to see the immediate response to our November 5th concert.” Calendar Listing
Sun, Nov 5th 4 p.m. - Concert ‘EIGHT SEASONS’, NEWTOWN
WSO Concert: ‘Eight Seasons, Vivaldi & Piazzolla’
Sunday, November 5th, 2023 4 p.m.
Edmond Town Hall, Newtown, CT
Theatre Doors Open 3:30 p.m.
Free accessible parking on site
Tickets $45;
$10 for students with ID [call box office]
For tickets online, visit: waterburysymphony.org
For ticketing by phone: 203-346-2000*
*Via box office partner, Palace Theater Ticketing Office For more info: Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Telephone: 203-574-4283
Leif Bjaland conductor
Vivaldi ‘The Four Seasons’
Piazzolla ‘Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’
Featuring Julian Rhee, Violin
Creating music since 1938, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra’s core belief is that music, music education and shared cultural experiences are essential for humanity. Three primary strands of the WSO include its MasterWorks Classical Concerts including its annual Symphony & Cinema Concert, its prodigious satellite performances including its Music in Great Spaces series of innovative concerts and smaller ensembles, and finally their celebrated educational programs for libraries, schools, and underserved communities. Led by Leif Bjaland for the past twenty-eight seasons, WSO draws over one hundred talented professional musicians from across New England. As orchestra in residence of the Fine Arts Center, Naugatuck Valley Community College, the Waterbury Symphony wishes to acknowledge the partnership of NVCC and the enduring legacy of the generosity and vision of Ruth Ann Leever. For more information by telephone, call 203-574-4283 For tickets online, visit: waterburysymphony.org For ticketing by phone: 203-346-2000* *Via box office partner, Palace Theater Ticketing Office About Julian Rhee
An avid violin soloist recognized as an emerging artist and performer, Julian Rhee has been praised for his "sophisticated, assured tone, superb intonation, and the kind of poise and showmanship that thrills audiences." (The Strad ). Debuting at age 8 with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Julian has performed internationally at acclaimed venues from Argentina, Hungary, Vienna, New World Center and the John F. Kennedy Center. He was selected as a 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholar and received his medal at the White House. Rhee is the recipient of the extended loan of the outstanding 1699 "Lady Tennant " Antonio Stradivari violin through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the efforts of the Stradivari Society whose mission support the very highest level of string playing by loaning precious antique Italian instruments to artists of exceptional talent and ability.