Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/3573
OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 UCW 11 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Happy 200th Birthday, Mr. Mendelssohn! Happy 53rd, FSO! by KAREN POPPELE The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra opens its 53rd season with a program entitled "Italian Favorites," featuring music commemorating the 200th birthday of composer Felix Mendelssohn, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, at 8 p.m. in Reeves Auditorium at Methodist University. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for military and seniors, $8 for students with ID and free for children under 12. Under the baton of Maestro Fakhouri, the FSO will perform Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90, Mendelssohn's brilliant and popular "Italian" symphony, as well as the overture to Rossini's The Barber of Seville, the Prelude to Act III of La Traviata by Verdi and Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana. The evening's program will also feature a solo cello performance of Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 by FSO cellist Jian Ding. Born 200 years ago on February 3, Mendelssohn composed the "Italian" Symphony after traveling to Italy in 1830, and he was invited by the London Philharmonic Society to conduct the premiere in 1833. This musical celebration of his birthday is the fi rst of fi ve concerts in the FSO's season subscription series. "We will hold our Season Opening Reception immediately following the concert," said Kellie Artis, Marketing and Operations Manager for the FSO. "Audience members are invited to stay and enjoy light refreshments and visit with members of the FSO and Maestro Fakhouri." And the beginning of the symphony season marks the return of Symphony @ Your Library, fi ve pre-concert lectures and performances held at the Cumberland County Headquarters Library in downtown Fayetteville from 7-9 p.m. "The programs usually feature a quartet or light orchestra," Artis said. "The lecturer provides a historical background of the composer and his contemporaries and offers excerpts from music by composers that infl uenced the featured composer, as well as excerpts from the highlighted piece. Symphony @ Your Library gives an overview of what to expect at the upcoming concert." Funded by an "Arts and Audiences" grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, the program is free and open to all ages. The next lecture is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12. Everyone loves a birthday party, and if you don't have your tickets yet for this year's exciting opening event, it's not too late. Season Passes for the FSO are still available until the fi rst concert and can be conveniently ordered online. "Subscribers actually receive an extra concert for the same price as last year," said Artis. "We also offer passes for missed concerts to be used at a later date, and for those music lovers who prefer not to drive or park at night, we're excited to provide a free shuttle service this season. They may visit the Website for more information and then call for a reservation." For more information on upcoming concerts, Symphony @ Your Library programs and the free shuttle service or to order tickets, contact the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra at 910-433-4690 or visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org. KAREN POPPELE, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or or email stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com