This is the one you've been waiting for! And it will be worth the wait. With 70 professional symphony musicians on stage, 5 carefully curated pieces of music that have stood the test of time, a young award-winning pianist - you will be stepping into a time machine and travel back exactly 100 years to the year of 1924 when the world was bursting at the seams with premieres of beloved classics like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome. A long time history enthusiast, WSO’s Music Director Leif Bjaland crafted the musical experience with five works created a century ago as the fuel for a time traveling adventure.
WS0's 1st MasterWorks concert of 2024 - and this one is special!
Waterbury Symphony Orchestra presents its first MasterWorks concert of 2024, ‘Concert of the Century’ at 3pm on Sunday, March 17th, at the Fine Arts Center, CT State Community College Naugatuck Valley [formerly NVCC]. Audiences will be invited to step into a time machine and travel back exactly 100 years to the year of 1924 when the world was bursting at the seams with premieres of beloved classics like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome. A long time history enthusiast, WSO’s Music Director Leif Bjaland crafted the musical experience with five works created a century ago as the fuel for a time traveling adventure.
As well as Rhapsody in Blue and Pines of Rome, audiences will be treated to Honegger’s famous sonic steam engine, Pacific 231, Germain Tailleferre’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and the majesty of American composer Carl Ruggles’ Men & Mountains.
Dutch-Spanish award-winning pianist of growing renown, Albert Cano Smit, will be joining the Waterbury Symphony on stage for rousing performance of the Gershwin classic Rhapsody in Blue and the lesser-known, but magnificent Tailleferre Piano Concerto, which he has added to his repertoire specifically for this unique program.
About the concert WSO Music Director Leif Bjaland spoke of his excitement, "1924 was an incredible year, this apogee of the jazz age was filled to the brim with cinematographic tone poems and syncopated concertos. Hearing this music 100 years later, including works by composers from literally around the world who were each creating what would become enduring compositions, will be like going back in time."
WSO Executive Director, Doug Donato, enthused about the upcoming program, “Featuring monumental classics such as Pines of Rome and Rhapsody in Blue as well as gems from Ruggles, Tailleferre, and Honegger - Concert of the Century perfectly encapsulates the excitement, optimism, and booming energy of the 1920s. It will be like opening a musical time capsule and peering into one of the most exciting decades of music making.”
The performance will be held on Sunday March 17th, 2024, at 3 p.m. General admission tickets start at $25, with $10 tickets available to students with an ID. Tickets are available online via the WSO website at www.waterburysymphony.org, 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.
CALENDAR LISTING:
Sunday, March 17th, 2024 3 pm
Fine Arts Center, CT State Community College, Naugatuck Valley [formerly NVCC]
750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT
Doors Open 2:30 p.m.
Free accessible parking in covered parking garage
With Elevator Access direct to concert hall
Tickets Starting at $25; $10 for students with ID - Call box office
For tickets online, visit: WSO BOX OFFICE*
For ticketing by phone: 203-346-2000*
*Via box office partner, Palace Theater Ticketing Office [Mon-Fri 10am - 4pm]
Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Telephone: 203-574-4283
Leif Bjaland, Music Director
MUSIC PROGRAM
Honegger Pacific 231
Tailleferre Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Ruggles Men and Mountains
Respighi Pines of Rome
We are immensely proud to deliver these enriching concerts to our audience and Concert of the Century would not be possible without the generous support of our wonderful sponsors. Thermo Conductor Services, of Prospect, CT, our Season Title Sponsor, has provided the WSO with longstanding support and has allowed us to bring our MasterWorks series to the stage for many seasons. Their commitment to the arts and the WSO has been unwavering.
We thank our Artist Sponsor, Thomaston Savings Bank, whose longstanding support to the WSO’s concert programs and Bravo Waterbury! Program has made a major impact on our community. We are honored to collaborate with them to showcase the exceptional talent of our soloist, Albert Cano Smit.
And finally, we also extend a warm welcome to our newest Corporate Sponsor, Eversource Energy, who is our Supporting Sponsor for this event - we are excited to welcome them to the fold!
Season Title Sponsor: Thermo Conductor Services, of Prospect, CT
Concert Guest Artist Sponsor: Thomaston Savings Bank
Concert Supporting Sponsor: Eversource CT
ABOUT PIANIST, GUEST ARTIST ALBERT CANO SMIT
Young Dutch Spanish pianist Albert Cano Smit is a musician who has been praised as “a moving young poet” (Le Devoir) and noted for his captivating performances, storytelling quality and nuanced musicality. He is the First Prize winner of the 2019 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions has appeared as a soloist with prestigious symphonies literally from around the world.
Appearances have included Carnegie Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, Paris Foundation Lous Vuitton, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Germany Rheingau Music Festival.
An advocate for new music, Albert has premiered numerous solo works on his recital programs, commissioned for him by Stephen Hough, Miquel Oliu, and Katherine Balch. He has given four hand performances with Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Wallis Annenberg Center Hall and Zipper Hall, taken part in the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York and the Bridgehampton Chamber Festival, and performed with such artists as Gary Hoffman, Pinchas Zukerman, Lun Li, Zlatomir Fung, Kevin Zhu, Leonard Fu and Lev Sivkov. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such ensembles as the Ebene, Szymanowski, Casals, Cosmos, Gerhard, and Verona Quartets, and has released an album of Austrian viola music for Champs Hills with Emma Wernig.
A polyglot who speaks five languages, Albert was born in Geneva, the son of a Dutch mother and Spanish father. He left home at 9 to join the Escolania de Montserrat choir school, where hours of rehearsal every day strongly affected his musical development. Albert recently completed an Artist Diploma and Masters Degree with Robert McDonald at the Juilliard School, where he was awarded the 2020 Rubinstein Prize for Piano. He also holds a BA in Piano Performance from the Colburn School with Ory Shihor, and studied at Chetham’s School of Music with Marta Karbownicka and Graham Caskie. He is an alum of the Verbier Festival Academy and Ravinia Steans Institute. He currently resides in New York City.