The 2011-2012 Season

The ECU Symphony Orchestra 2011 – 2012 season welcomes outstanding artists performing a variety of interesting and powerful works for orchestra. Maestro Richter will lead the orchestra in a season of seven symphony orchestra performances in Greenville at Wright Auditorium on the ECU campus, including a world première, and concerts with orchestral composition and concerto competition winners. In addition, the orchestra will perform in Goldsboro and Tarboro.

All ECU Symphony concerts in Greenville are free and open to the public.

Nordic Impressions

This year’s concerts are thematic, beginning September 17 with “Dueces,” Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D major, pus 43 and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18, with guest soloist pianist Benjamin Hochman. This concert will be repeated September 18 at the Paramount Theatre in Goldsboro.

Russian Folktales & Songs

The October 15 concert highlights Russian composers Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Suite from the Ballet “Swan Lake,” Opus 20a and Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Little Russian”, Opus 17; and Sergey Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto, Opus 3, with bass soloist Leonid Finkelshteyn.

Highlands and Lowlands

New ECU School of Music faculty member Hye-Jin Kim joins the orchestra for a performance of Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, Opus 46 on our November 12 concert. The Scottish theme continues as the orchestra presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Prelude from the Opera “Macbeth” and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor “Scottish”, Opus 56.

Handel’s Messiah

On December 4 the orchestra will kick off the holiday season with a performance of Handel’s Messiah, HMW 56, with the ECU Choirs and guest conductor Jeffrey Ward and guest soloists Rachel Copeland, Jami Rhodes, Perry Smith and John Kramar.

German Romantics

The February 11 concert features ECU oboist Bo Newsome performing Richard Strauss’ Concerto for Oboe in D major with the ECU Symphony Orchestra. Works by the great German composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms are featured as well, with Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn.

NewMusic@ECU Festival

On March 17, the orchestra continues its long relationship with the NewMusic@ECU Festival with a performance of the winning composition of the 2011 – 2012 ECU School of Music Orchestral Composition Competition. In addition, the orchestra will premiere ECU composer Marc Faris’ Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, with guitarist Elliot Frank, and feature baritone John Kramar and the ECU Choirs on Henryk Gorecki’s Beatus Vir, Opus 38

American Festival

The season concludes April 14 with “American Festival”, including Aaron Copland’s An Outdoor Overture and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from “On the Waterfront.” This concert will also feature the winner of the 2011 – 2012 ECU Concerto Competition. This performance will be repeated April 15 at Keihin Auditorium , Edgecombe Community College, Tarboro, as part of the Edgecombe Performance Series.