Vermont Philharmonic

“CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE CENTURIES”

The Vermont Philharmonic opens its 65^th season with a concert program that features orchestral musical connections across three centuries.

The program opens with Symphony No. 2 in D Major written in 1779 by Joseph Bologne, the first classical composer of African descent who reached stardom throughout Europe and was dubbed by Marie Antoinette as Chevalier de Saint-Georges.  An older contemporary of Mozart, whom he may have influenced, Bologne’s music is clever and pleasing. 

Florence Price wrote Ethiopia’s Shadow in America 150 years after the Saint-Georges symphony.  The three colorful movements depict “The Arrival of the Negro in America when first brought here as a slave”, “His resignation and faith”, and “His adaptation – a fusion of his native and acquired impulses”. Price was African-American, a graduate of the New England Conservatory in 1906, underappreciated during her lifetime and for nearly 70 years after her death.  It was only in 2009 that many of her over 300 compositions were found in her abandoned summer home and are starting to get the attention they deserve.

The concert concludes with one of the most beloved classical symphonies, Antonin Dvorak’s major work, his Symphony #9 “From the New World”, written in 1893 during his three-year stay in the United States.  Dvorak uses elements of spirituals and native American music.   According to legend, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon to a recording of this Dvorak’s symphony during the historic Apollo 11 mission on June 20, 1969.

The Vermont Philharmonic is celebrating its sixty-fifth year of making beautiful music in Central and Northern Vermont. The Philharmonic’s member-musicians, some 60 strong and from all walks of life, are committed to the orchestra’s two-fold mission of sharing their love of music with audiences of all ages, and encouraging young musicians to dedicate themselves to their musical education so that some might become professional musicians of tomorrow.

More information about the Vermont Philharmonic is at vermontphilharmonic.com. 

PERFORMANCE & DINNER

Enjoy a delicious dinner from the Kitchen at HCA before the show! Order your dinner in advance when you purchase your tickets online, and dinner will be waiting for you when you arrive. Dinners are available for pickup starting an hour and half before the show. A limited number of meals will be available for on-site purchase. (Meals tax is included in the price.)

Mac and Cheese Buffet – $20

Homemade Mac & Cheese, Maple Pulled Pork, Salad, Fresh Baked Bread, and Pumpkin Pie.