DAYTON OH (March 10, 2011) – The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2010-2011 Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Classical Series will continue with concerts titled New Worlds on Thursday and Saturday, March 24 & 26, 2011, both performances at 8 p.m. at the Schuster Center.
These concerts explore the melding of folks and popular music with classical styles and forms. Enesco’s wild Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 will set the program in motion. Then, concertgoers will discover two visions of the same country; the America that that Czech composer Antonin Dvorák came to visit in 1892, and the America of today. Michael Daugherty’s exciting electric guitar concerto Gee’s Bend (inspired by the quilting community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama) is a zesty stew of musical flavors from rock to blues to classical and back again. The same American spirit, albeit with some Bohemian seasoning, may be heard in Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, one of the most popular works in the entire symphonic repertoire.
Neal Gittleman, Music Director of the DPO, will conduct. Young American composer and performer D.J. Sparr will perform the electric guitar solos in Gee’s Bend.
Neal Gittleman and D.J. Sparr will offer “Take Note” pre-concert discussions beginning at 7 p.m. prior to each concert. On Thursday, March 24, Neal’s special guest will be Michael Daugherty, composer of Gee’s Bend. Michael Daugherty’s appearance in Dayton is made possible in part through Meet the Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program.
Tickets for the concerts of March 24 & 26 range from $9 – $59 and are available by calling
(888) 228-3630 or by ordering on the web at www.daytonphilharmonic.com.
The Dayton Philharmonic’s 2010-2011 Classical Series is sponsored by Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals. D.J. Sparr appears as the 2010-2011 season Benjamin & Marian Schuster Endowed Young Classical Artist.