The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra literally trumpets, rockets and dances to kick off its 30th
anniversary season on 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 16, at the new Drees Homes Auditorium (St. Henry District H.S. in Erlanger).
This all-orchestral program features not the Three Bs (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms), but the New Bs —(Boyer, Bates and Bartok).
Peter Boyer’s “New Beginnings” (2000) was commissioned by Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan for the local symphony to celebrate the opening of “The New Bronson,” a $200-million dollar facility. This celebratory piece begins with a driving fanfare that gives way to a haunting lyrical
melody and zippy, boisterous finish. It was intended to extol the perfect post-COVID musical return. . . well, that was the plan.
Grammy award-winning composer (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs) and former night club disc-jockey, Mason Bates, brings his samplings and computer-driven tempi and percussive sounds to his 2018 work The Art of War, featuring actual sounds of the U.S. Treasury printing presses, a co-mingling of American blues and Iraqi folk music, and the training of a U.S. Marine Corps mortar platoon.
Bates describes his work as a symphony exploring the drama of human conflict from the perspectives of soldiers, weaponry and human loss.
The program concludes with Béla Bartók’s 20th c. virtuosic warhorse — Concerto for Orchestra (1943, rev. 1945). This all orchestral program features every instrument and section in the orchestra.
“For a while now the KSO has scaled back its musician forces to accommodate health protocols and/or budget concerns.
The new Drees Homes Auditorium at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger.
Coming into its 30th season, KSO forged ahead with faith to bring the full forces of the orchestra back to the stage,” said James Cassidy, KSO founder and Music Director.
Tickets for each show remain at $35 to experience great musicians, guest artists and innovative programming unique to our region.
The KSO will adopt the safety protocols of each respective venue that are in place on the date of the
performance. For those who need to stay home, the KSO continues live streaming each concert (with multiple cameras) for your ‘at home access’ for the price of a single ticket.
Subscribers to all five shows of the season get in-person, preferential seating, flexible use and access to live streams with a $25 savings.
Tickets are available online at kyso.org or by phone at (859) 431-6216.
