A Season of Symphonies

The Oregon East Symphony begin their search for a new conductor this season and bid a fond farewell to Kenneth Woods, their conductor for the past seven years.

A farewell performance for Kenneth Woods is coming up on October 24th @ 7:30pm at the Vert Auditoriumin Pendleton. The concert features Mozart's "Piano Concerto in A" with guest soloist James Dick.












Along with auditioning new Music Directors, the Oregon East Symphony's 2009/2010 also presents new music including William Berry's Cycling Musicin November and the Portland Cello Project in January.

The season also includes Beethoven's Triple Concerto and the annual Red, White, and Blue Jeans Bash fundraiser.

A Season of Symphonies

The Portland Chamber Orchestra's 52nd season promises to be an exciting one. Music, dance and the visual arts combine for three unique performances. From Renaissance Redux to Mozart Swings innovation and collaboration are the hallmarks of this orchestra founded in 1947 by Finnish composer and conductor, Boris Sirpo.




Maestro Yaacov Bergman brings a spirit of passion, energy and creativity to everything he does and on A Season of Symphonies you can hear him speak with Northwest Public Radio's Robin Rilette about the importance of understanding and incorporating new technology into the world of classical music performance.

A Season of Symphonies

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is opening its 90th season with a very special night, presenting an evening with the legendary Carol Burnett at the Orpheum Theatre on September 26th. And that's just the beginning!


Their series include Tea and Trumpets and the VSO Pops series that includes tributes to Benny Goodman and the late Erich Kunzel. And the Masterworks Series? Well, there you can expect appearances by violinists Itzhak Perlman and Shlomo Mintz and pianists Angela Cheng, Janina Fialkowska and Garrick Ohlson. You'll hear everything from Beethoven's "Choral Symphony" and "Emperor" Piano Concerto to tributes to Mendelssohn, Schumann and Chopin.





















At the helm of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is composer, conductor and pianist Bramwell Tovey. You can hear him talk about his early years honing his music skills with The Salvation Army on A Season of Symphonies.



Tickets for both the various series and individual performances are available. Have a great enjoying all that the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has to offer!

A Season of Symphonies

The Washington Idaho Symphony is poised for an exciting new season with a new conductor, Jeremy Briggs Roberts.
Like every other conductor, Roberts wears a number of hats. He's also Music Director and Conductor of the Icicle Creek Youth Symphony in Leavenworth.



If you like to travel the conducting life may be for you! Dr. Roberts also served as Associate Conductor of the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin and has conducted orchestras in Paris, London, Moscow, Bulgaria and Romania. Maestro Roberts was a prize-winner at the 2006 Vendome Academy of Orchestral Conducting in Paris and has worked or studied with the likes of Gianluigi Gelmetti and Gerard Schwarz. If you'd like to hear my interview with Jeremy Briggs Roberts, click on this link to A Season of Symphonies.

The Washington Idaho Symphony opens its 38th season on Saturday, September 26th with the Symphonic Titans, featuring Mozart's Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" profiled on NPR,and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in e.
Buy your tickets now for another great year of music!


The Washington Idaho Symphony with former conductor, Nicholas Wallin, now with the Mid-Columbia Symphony.

A Season of Symphonies

Today on A Season of Symphonies we meet Music Director and Conductor of the Spokane Symphony Eckart Preu. Maestro Preu is a native of Germany. For eight years, while attending boarding school, he was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Although he dreamed of a career in soccer, his background and experience with the choir led him into a musical career much to the benefit of the Inland Northwest!


The Spokane Symphony, in its 64th season, has brought decades of high quality performances to the Inland Northwest. This year proves no exception. Click on "Concerts" in the link above to see a listing of this year's offerings which include everything from The Cowboy Show featuring Wylie Gustafson from Dusty to guest artists such as Pascal Roge, Manuel Barrueco and Yolanda Kondonassis.
Photo by Ross Hecox, Western Horseman
Saddle up for a great season with the Spokane Symphony!

A Season of Symphonies

Enriching lives for 70 years, the Victoria Symphony is the largest and most active performing arts organization on Vancouver Island. With concerts nine months out of the year there is something for everyone. Here is the full list of the Victoria Symphony's concerts. As you will discover it is a diverse and exciting season!



Among this season's offerings is a tribute to Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, featuring Gustav Holst's
The Planets.

The Victoria Symphony proudly supports Canadian musicians and this season features Viennese born, Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti in a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Other special guest artists include violinist James Ehnes and cellist Denise Djokic.



Plus you'll enjoy Roald Dahl's Little Red Riding Hood, take a Journey on the Orient Express and find out How the Gimquat found her song!


And don't forget about the Victoria Symphony Splash, one of the biggest outdoor concerts in North America! Enjoy!

Farewell to Erich Kunzel

Conductor Erich Kunzel died Tuesday morning at the age of 74 after a bout with cancer.

Click here for a tribute to Kunzel that aired this morning on "Morning Edition."

If you check out the discography section of Maestro Kunzel's website you will see a very long list of recordings. I'm happy that the Northwest Public Radio library has many of his performances. Some of my favorites are his instrumental arrangements of the arias of Verdi and Puccini and "Five Selections from Victory at Sea." Scroll down just a bit to read more about Victory at Sea.