6 Masterworks Concerts 40 Works of Music
90 Chorus Singers 78 Orchestra Players
18 Guest Artists 15 Hours of Music-Making
11 Exciting Performances
Equals ONE Exciting Season!
Music Director Allan R. Scott and the Helena Symphony announce the Symphony’s 58th Season. Coming off one of the most talked about concerts with the Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, the Helena Symphony Orchestra performed for one of its largest audiences ever for the 9th annual Symphony Under the Stars this summer, which was the unofficial opening of the 58th Season. “As Maestro Scott begins his 10th year as music director, his artistic vision and leadership have brought the Helena Symphony to new artistic heights and prominence as one of the premiere symphonies in the Rocky Mountain region,” says President Kathy Bramer.
The official opening of the season is Saturday, September 15th at 7:00 p.m. (NOTE earlier time) at the Helena Civic Center, featuring popular Concertmaster Stephen Cepeda performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The concert also celebrates the virtuosity of the Helena Symphony Orchestra with the Concerto for Orchestra by American Composer Jennifer Higdon. “Jennifer Higdon is the most commissioned composers alive today,” explains Maestro Scott. “Her Concerto for Orchestra, composed for the Philadelphia Orchestra, has emerged as a work of music composed in the last decade and continues to win audiences over everywhere.” Opening Night concludes with Ravel’s hypnotic Bolero – one of the most popular works for audiences. Following the concert, the entire audience is invited to a Champagne Dessert reception in the Helena Civic Center Ballroom, sponsored by The Parrot and George’s Foods (free for subscribers and $10 for non-subscribers).
The 2012-2013 Season also includes some of the greatest masterworks of all time, including Requiems by Brahms, Mozart, and Gabriel Fauré that take place throughout the season. In addition to the Requiem cycle, the Helena Symphony Orchestra & Chorale will present other landmark masterpieces, such as Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, Debussy’s La Mer, and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto. In addition to Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra, the HSO will perform the mesmerizing Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by Polish composer Henryk Górecki (who died two years ago) and the Percussion Concerto by Pulitzer Prize Winning American composer Joseph Schwantner. “We are excited to present music from our own time,” explains Maestro Scott. “Audiences will find how accessible, inspirational, and thrilling new music is – and how relevant new music is today.”
The Helena Symphony continues its commitment to featuring world class guest artists, and this season several internationally-renowned soloists perform with the Helena Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, including superstar Percussionist Lynn Vartan, Philadelphia Orchestra Violinist Richard Amoroso, Romanian Pianist Alexandra Costin, and 12 opera singers!
After a three hiatus, Handel’s Messiah returns to the Cathedral of St. Helena in December, and the Family Holiday Concert with Kid Konductors! continues to usher in the holiday season for audiences of all ages at the Helena Civic Center.
After last season’s much celebrated performance by Cellist Ovidiu Marinescu, the critically-acclaimed cellist returns for a special solo recital at the Myrna Loy Center in January. Later that month, the HSO presents the Student Assistance Foundation Youth Concert for nearly 2,000 fourth and fifth graders. “Living in such uncertainty these days, upheaval, and economic trends, this is a time when we need music the most in our lives,” says Symphony President Kathy Bramer. “We have a great treasure in Helena – a fabulous orchestra and chorus. Stay near to us. We promise you – you will be always be glad you came. Allow us to continue to enrich your lives with the great gift of music.”
The 2012-2013 makes for a combined total of six concerts in the Exergy Masterworks Series, forty works of music, fifteen hours of music-making, eighteen guest artists, ninety chorus singers, seventy-eight orchestra players, and nearly a dozen performances.
To subscribe to the 2012-2013 Season, subscriptions can be purchased on line at helenasymphony.org, or by calling the Symphony Box Office (406.442.1860), or at the Symphony Box Office located at 48 Hibbard Way, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Subscription packages are available for $240, $165, $144, $120, and single tickets to non-subscription events are on sale as well with all seats reserved. Several sections are already sold out, so now is the time to renew or become a subscriber. Subscribers receive many great benefits, such as savings up to 30% off regular ticket prices, the Conductor’s Pre-Concert Crash Course for each Exergy Masterworks Concert, The Art of Listening Newsletter with advance program notes, priority seating on all non-subscription concerts, and flexible ticket exchange.