Today, the Helena Symphony announced a revised 2020-2021 Season – Season 66 – Part One: Reimagined and Streaming ONline. Branded as “It’s ON!,” the Helena Symphony is proud to bring music to the community and throughout the state. Following months of collaboration with the County health officials and reviewing international studies on the impacts of instrumental performance and singing, we decided that offering a livestream into people’s homes is the ideal way to bring our music-making into the lives of our community in an innovative and safe way.
“The pandemic has given the Helena Symphony the opportunity to reimagine how the 2020-2021 Season might look, sound, and feel,” explains Symphony President Patrick Keim. “Nothing can replace coming to the concert hall and experience live music-making by the Helena Symphony Orchestra & Chorale.”
The Symphony recently polled its audience members and 80% indicated that they would watch the live-streamed performances, and over 60% would pay for it. 70% indicated that they would donate to the Symphony as well.
The Helena Symphony is especially grateful to AARP Montana, who secured the naming rights to the new HomeStream Your Helena Symphony. “AARP Montana is so excited to help bring the artistic excellence of the Helena Symphony’s music-making to people in the safety of their homes,” says Tim Summers, State Director of AARP Montana.
Season 66 – Part One
Season 66 – Part One also features a Beethoven series, titled Beethoven 250 to celebrate the 250th birthday of one of humankind’s most important artists. This includes performances of Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 7 and No. 1, Violin Concerto, Egmont Overture, and several chamber works. Other highlights include works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Shostakovich, and J.S. Bach. Superstar guest artists will also perform during Season 66 – Part One, such as, Helena-audience and internationally-renowned Romanian Cellist Ovidiu Marinescu, Russian Pianist Anna Kislitsyna, and HSO Concertmaster Stephen Cepeda.
Performances in Season 66 – Part One include two of the six Masterworks Concerts, two Non-Series Concerts (Mozart by Candlelight and Christmas in the Cathedral), and two of the five Education Concerts. The first half of the Season also includes a Virtual Symphony Soiree on Thursday, 1 October, which is an online fundraiser featuring live and silent auctions, a fabulous raffle, exclusive music performances, a signature drink recipe from Gulch Distilleries, and more. An event like nothing Helena has seen before!
“We are not trying to duplicate or replicate the concert hall experience but innovate the experience of our music-making,” says Music Director Allan R. Scott. “The Helena Symphony was created for these very difficult times. Our music-making exists to literally save lives and to promote the spiritual and emotional well-being of our people. Despite the very different format, we will strive to continue to make lives better through music.
HomeStream Your Helena Symphony presented by AARP Montana
How?
These live streams can be viewed on a smart phone, tablet, laptop and desktop computers, smart televisions, and televisions connected to the internet – or anywhere you have access to YouTube. Most televisions offer YouTube as an app or can be attached to another computing device to watch on the big screen. While nothing can replace the experience of attending a live performance, we feel that the live stream offers an exciting and new way to enjoy a concert. Each stream will be shot by 6-7 cameras and the camera crew will be able to operate within the Orchestra and Chorale, offering close-up shots of musicians, front-side views of Maestro Scott, and visuals that are not possible by sitting in the auditorium. We will also have a pre-concert host, and short backstage interviews prior to walking onstage or at intermission. We are excited to present the Helena Symphony in a more personal, up-close manner.
There is no charge for the HomeStream Your Helena Symphony presented by AARP Montana, which will be available on YouTube, the Helena Symphony’s website, and the Symphony’s Facebook page. There will be an option available online to make a donation to the Helena Symphony.
For Subscribers
For those who have purchased their Season Tickets, we are arranging for a Symphony gift bag with some select and private goodies unavailable anywhere else. You’ll learn more about that in the near future. The Early-Bird Season Tickets that were purchased before this pandemic hit are essential in keeping the musicians of the Symphony together and playing. Your continued support is vital to our future.
SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS – exclusive to season ticket holders!
For those who have already purchased Season Tickets, your seats in the Civic Center are still reserved for when we are able to gather together again. At this time, ticket sales have been suspended for Subscriptions and for individual concerts. The following benefits still apply:
Season ticket holders will receive Subscriber ON-the-Go gift bag, plus individual Concert Watch Packs for each concert, as well as access to the Pre-Concert Conversations online with Maestro Scott and guest artists 30 minutes prior to every Masterworks Concert; and The Art of Listening newsletter with information about the concert, including Maestro Scott’s program notes.