Past Seasons - Space Coast Symphony Orchestra

2009/10

Opening Night Gala

Richard Strauss I Also Sprach Zarathustra
Dmitri Shostakovich I Festive Overture
Franz Lizst I Les Preludes
Gustav Mahler I Symphony No. 1

A Fantastic Journey

Marion Scott, guest conductor

Paul Dukas I The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Richard Wagner I Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from ‘Lohengrin’
Hector Berlioz I Symphonie Fantastique

Russian Classics

Jamila Tekalli, piano

Igor Stravinsky I The Firebird Suite, 1919
Sergei Prokofiev I Piano Concerto No. 3
Piotr Tchaikovsky I Symphony No. 5

Shostakovich’s Fifth

Side by Side Concert with the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra

Morton Gould I American Salute
Pietro Mascagni I Intermezzo from ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’
Giuseppe Verdi I Overture from ‘Nabucco’
Aaron Copland I Hoe Down from ‘Rodeo’
Gustav Holst I Mars from ‘The Planets’
Dmitri Shostakovich I Symphony No. 5

Made in America

Jamila Tekalli, piano
Brandon Clinton, composer
Colonel Hal Gibson, guest conductor

Samuel Barber I Adagio for Strings
Samuel Barber I First Essay for Orchestra
George Gershwin I Rhapsody in Blue
Brandon Clinton I Liberty for All (World Premiere)
Leonard Bernstein I Symphonic Dances from ‘West Side Story’

The Music of Brahms

Johannes Brahms I Tragic Overture
Johannes Brahms I Hungarian Dances
Johannes Brahms I Symphony No. 1

The Joy of Music – Season Finale

George Weremchuk, saxophone

Carl Nielsen I Helios Overture
Alexander Glazunov I Saxophone Concerto
Jean Sibelius I Symphony No. 2

2010/11

Dvorak: Old World, New World

Antonin Dvorak | Slavonic Dances, Op. 72
Antonin Dvorak | Symphony No. 9 ‘The New World’

Celebrate the opening of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra’s Second Season with Music Director Aaron Collins in an all Dvorák program. The concert opens up with the complete set of Dvorák’s enchanting Slavonic Dances, Op. 72. We conclude the evening with Dvorák’s “From the New World.” Written after Dvorák’s visit to America, his Symphony No. 9 is a captivating fusion of Czech and Austrian symphonic mastery combined with American inspired visions of Hiawatha and the African-American Spiritual. Celebrated since its debut, “From the New World” mixes broad, loving melodies and vigorous folk dance rhythms. It’s a work that amply justifies its status as one of the best loved symphonies of all.

Russian Festival

Piotr Tchaikovsky | Slavonic March, Op. 31
Piotr Tchaikovsky | The Sleeping Beauty, Suite
Sergei Prokofiev | Symphony No. 5

You can’t help but feel Tchaikovsky’s astonishing gift for melody and great dramatic instincts. In this concert, the SCSO celebrates his genius with the soaring and infectious themes of his Slavonic March and music from his ballet masterpiece, The Sleeping Beauty. Then, enjoy the symphony Prokofiev considered his best, calling it music “glorifying the human spirit.” This powerhouse symphony was written more than 14 years after his Fourth Symphony and communicates the emotional tensions of wartime Russia.

An Enchanted Evening

Rodgers & Hammerstein (orch. Robert Russell Bennett) – An Enchanted Evening

The cast of the Cocoa Village Playhouse joins the Space Coast Symphony in the beauty and power of award-winning composers Rodgers and Hammerstein at their best. Featuring music from Carousel, The King & I, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and more, this performance will have audiences humming all night long!

Scheherazade

Alexander Borodin | Polovtsian Dances
Anton Arensky | Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Carey Moorman, violin)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | Scheherazade

Take an excursion with the SCSO in an evening of colorful Russian favorites ranging from the charming and exotic sounds of Arensky’s Violin Concerto performed by Space Coast Symphony’s own, Carey Moorman. From the tantalizing tints, flaming colors and soaring melodies of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances to Rimsky-Korsakov’s evocation of the riotous pageantry and the languor of the east.

Messiah Sing Along

George Frideric Handel | The Messiah, Part 1

Join Maestro Aaron Collins, the Space Coast Chamber Orchestra, and Space Coast Oratorio Society in our third annual Messiah Sing Along. The audience is invited to sing along in the favorite Messiah choruses, which include Glory of the Lord, Thou that tellest Good Tidings, For Unto Us a Child is Born, Glory to God in the Highest, His Yoke is Easy, Behold the Lamb of God, Lift up your heads, and of course, the Hallelujah Chorus. This is truly one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling holiday experiences in Central Florida.

Mendelssohn Goes Italian

Felix Mendelssohn | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture & Scherzo
Felix Mendelssohn | Violin Concerto in E minor (Igor Markstein, violin)
Felix Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’

The SCSO presents an all-Mendelssohn program. The program features our Concertmaster, Igor Markstein performing the evocative Violin Concerto in E minor, the picturesque Italian Symphony, and Mendelssohn’s mischievous incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a hallmark of both the composer’s oeuvre and the Romantic period.

The Power of Music

Jean Sibelius | Finlandia
Bedrich Smetana | The Moldau
Piotr Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 4 in F Minor

Find the Power in Music in this riveting program featuring Bedrich Smetana’s richly orchestrated portrait of the Moldau River, The Moldau. The seventy-piece Space Coast Chorus joins the SCSO to open up the concert with one of the most rousing works written, Finlandia, by Jean Sibelius, whose music captures the essence of the Finnish spirit. The concert closes with Tchaikovsky’s tumultuous Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, which was composed during his short-lived marriage and amidst significant personal hardship. Symphony No. 4 is a classic, showing the emotion and color of this creative genius. This orchestral showpiece is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

Icons in Music: Barber & Schumann

Samuel Barber | Piano Concerto (Jamila Tekalli, piano)
Robert Schumann | Symphony No. 3 ‘Rhenish’

Celebrate two Icons in Music, Robert Schumann and Samuel Barber. Pianist Jamila Tekalli returns to Central Florida to celebrate Samuel Barber’s Centenary by performing his beloved and extremely demanding Piano Concerto. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Schumann’s birth, the SCSO closes with the powerful Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish.”

The Drama in Music

Modest Mussorgsky | Night on a Bald Mountain
Richard Strauss | Death and Transfiguration
Sergei Prokofiev | Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2

The SCSO closes its Fall/Spring series with a program full of drama. The concert opens with Modest Mussorgsky’s magnificent and wildly popular Night on a Bald Mountain. Following is one of the most important works of the 20th Century, Richard Strauss’s epic tone poem, Death and Transfiguration. The performance closes with Prokofiev’s unforgettable music from the ballet, Romeo and Juliet.

Sacred Works: Bruckner & Beethoven

Anton Bruckner | Te Deum
Ludwig Van Beethoven | Christ on the Mount of Olives

The Space Coast Oratorio Society and Riverside Presbyterian Church present two powerful works by Bruckner and Beethoven. This annual free concert features over 140 musicians. The Te Deum is a work of Bruckner’s steadfast faith, carrying his typical dedication “to the dear Lord.” Mahler scribbled in his own score his assessment of the performing force: “angelic tongues, Godseekers, tormented hearts and souls purified by flame.” Bruckner was more hopeful, suggesting that on the day he was to meet his maker, “I will show him the score of my Te Deum, and he may judge me accordingly.” (Holoman). Beethoven’s only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives is rarely performed today. This powerful work is a testament to Beethoven’s genius.

Time Machine

Juan Carlos Siviero, viola
Dana Tolan, violin

Antonio Vivaldi | Concerto for Strings in G major, “Alla Rustica.”
Carl Stamitz | Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola in D major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | A Musical Joke, K. 522
Paul Hindemith | Trauermusik for viola and strings
Antonin Dvorak | Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22

Take a trip through time with the string section of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra as we take you on a journey through four musical periods. The concert opens up with Antonio Vivaldi’s brilliant Concerto for Strings in G major, “Alla Rustica.” Carl Stamitz’s virtuostic Sinfonia concertante in D major will be brought to life by violinist, Dana Tolan and violist, Juan Carlos Siviero. The first half closes with Mozart’s entertaining and humorous A Musical Joke. Principal violist, Juan Carlos Siviero performs Paul Hindemith’s haunting Trauermusik. In January 1936, Hindemith heard news of the death of King George V. He quickly wrote this piece in tribute to the late king, and the premiere was given that same evening, the day after the king’s death. The concert closes with Antonin Dvorak’s very popular Serenade for Strings. Written in 1875 at a very happy time in his life, all five movements are beautifully crafted; with an abundance of melody, it is one of the most popular works in the entire string repertoire.

Chopin & Schubert

Rochelle Sallee, piano

Frédéric Chopin | Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Franz Schubert | Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 ‘Tragic’

Pianist Rochelle Sallee joins Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Chamber Orchestra in performance of Frederic Chopin’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 1. The composer’s secret love for Konstancia, a fellow student at the conservatory, inspired this rhapsodic, soaring work. Chopin suggests we think of “a beloved landscape that calls up in one’s soul beautiful memories—for instance, of a fine moonlit spring night” as we listen. The second half of the concert features Franz Schubert’s hauntingly beautiful and intense Symphony No. 4 ‘Tragic’, the young composer’s first minor-key work, written in 1816. The Symphony No. 4 is a work full of great warmth, passion, and drama. You’ll be humming the marvelous tunes of this program for days.

2011/12

Opening Night Gala
September 17 & 18, 2011

Michael Wiseman, cello

Hector Berlioz | Le Corsaire Overture
Dmitri Shostakovich | Cello Concerto No. 1
César Franck | Symphony in D minor

Maestro Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra begin their third season in a flurry of motion with the opening measures of Berlioz’s exuberant Le Corsaire Overture. As befits a composition about the escapades of a pirate, the music is bold, dashing, and bracing, along with some contrasting lyrical passages, to make one of the great curtain raisers for a concert. Cellist Michael Wiseman is featured in another work which was written for Rostropovich, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, a searing statement of hope against all odds. The concert closes with Cesar Franck’s richly romantic and heroic Symphony in D minor, one of the most beautiful symphonies in the repertoire.

The Music Man
October 1 & 2, 2011

Meredith Willson | The Music Man

Come along for toe-tapping fun when Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” takes Central Florida by storm. Con man Harold Hill sets out to swindle the citizens of River City, Iowa by convincing them their sons need to learn to play music and form a band to keep them from falling into sinful ways. After he sells them band uniforms and instruments, “Professor” Hill plans to take their money and run. However after winning the favor of town librarian Marian Paroo, Hill finds himself smitten and in a conundrum. This beloved American musical won five Tony Awards and includes well-known songs such as “Till There Was You,” “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “(Ya Got) Trouble.” Relive the glorious tradition of musical theatre with The Music Man.

A London Symphony
October 22 & 23, 2011

Carey Moorman, viola

Ralph Vaughan Williams | ‘Wasps’ Overture
Cecil Forsyth | Viola Concerto in G minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 2 ‘London’

Join Maestro Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony for a trip over the pond. The concert opens up with Wasps Overture by Vaughan Williams, a work scored for a Cambridge Greek play production of Aristophanes, ‘The Wasps’. This spectacular overture is always sure to cause a buzz! The Space Coast Symphony’s principal second violinist, Carey Moorman, will give the Southeastern Premiere of Cecil Forsyth’s Viola Concerto in G minor. This is a work of extraordinary lyricism, powerful melodies, and tireless good humor. The Orchestra closes the concert with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s intoxicating A London Symphony, an affectionate musical portrait of London, its inhabitants and its irrepressible vitality. The second of Vaughan Williams’s six symphonies, the “London” was identified by the composer as “indeed… my favorite of my family of six.”

Out of this World: Science Fiction Film Favorites
November 11 & 12, 2011

Journey to another galaxy as your Orchestra transports you into the music of science fiction’s greatest film favorites including Star Wars, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more! The Space Coast Symphony will present the Premiere of Jerry Goldsmith’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s Cut, a 30 minute suite comprised of cues from the original score. Accompanied by images and film on screen, this is a production you don’t want to miss! Come dressed as your favorite science fiction character and prepare for an experience that’s “Out of This World!”

An Evening with Basie, Ellington, & Friends
November 19 & 20, 2011

“If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.” – William “Count” Basie
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” – Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington

Are you loyal to the royals? Then this one’s for you. These styles of music by these jazz artists are the backbone of some of the musical heritage in America and in Europe.” Catch the A train and join some of the finest jazz musicians in the Southeast as they bring you the music of two legends in the pantheon of jazz. Duke’s oeuvre? Indestructible classics including “Satin Doll,” “Take the A Train,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me,” “Mood Indigo,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “Perdido” and “I’m “Beginning to See the Light.” Count’s repertoire? Big band anthems including “Corner Pocket,” “Shiny Stockings,” “One O’Clock Jump,” “April in Paris,” “Alright, OK, You Win,” “Li’l Darlin,” “Moten Swing” and “Kid From Red Bank.” Don’t miss this incredible inaugural concert that will have you tapping your toes all night.

A Leroy Anderson Christmas
December 2 & 3, 2011

Galmont Ballet

Join the Space Coast Symphony for the Holiday favorite, A Leroy Anderson Christmas & The Nutcracker. Leroy Anderson, dubbed the “master of the miniature” has written some of the most popular music of our time. The first half of the concert includes favorites such as Sleigh Ride, Bugler’s Holiday, The Typewriter, Syncopated Clock, A Christmas Festival, and more. The Galmont Ballet joins the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra on the second half to present selections from Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable masterpiece, the Nutcracker.

Fourth Annual Messiah Sing Along
December 9, 2011

The Space Coast Symphony will present the 4th Annual Messiah Sing Along, the enduring Christmas oratorio by George Friedrich Handel. Hailed as the “ultimate Christmas concert,” and an annual sellout, this concert is a don’t miss! All area singers are invited to participate in the chorus accompanied by members of the professional Space Coast Symphony Orchestra and featuring soloists from the Space Coast Chorus. Singers may bring their own score or use the music provided. The public is invited to sing or listen to the Christmas favorite.

A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas & Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker
December 17 & 18, 2011

Stan Kenton | Various
Duke Ellington | Nutcracker Suite

The Space Coast Jazz All-Stars will present two iconic Christmas albums, A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas and Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker. The professional jazz orchestra will present big band arrangements of holiday classics from the legendary Stan Kenton Christmas Album including “O Holy Night,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and more. The second half of the concert will feature Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite which transforms Tchaikovsky’s classic into a jazz expression. Ellington and writing partner Bill Strayhorn created this hybrid album in the 1960s. Hailed as the two greatest Christmas big band arrangements of all time coupled with this spectacular group of musicians, this entertaining program will keep you on the edge of the seat all night.

New Year’s with The Three Tenors
January 6 & 8, 2012

Ring in the New Year with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra performing popular works including waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, and marches. Joining the Orchestra will be Three Tenors to perform popular arias from your favorite operas. What better way to celebrate the New Year than a concert filled with thrilling music and surprises.

Pines of Rome
January 28 & February 5, 2012

Suliman Tekalli, violin

Sergei Prokofiev | Suite from ‘The Love of Three Oranges’
Sergei Prokofiev | Violin Concerto No. 1
Ottorino Respighi | Fountains of Rome
Ottorino Respighi | Pines of Rome

Join the Space Coast Symphony in this epic program featuring works by Prokofiev and Respighi. The concert opens with Prokofiev’s witty and endearing music from his opera, The Love of Three Oranges. Violinist Suliman Tekalli, who has entertained audiences throughout the United States and South America, will mesmerize audiences with his technical mastery and soaring lyricism in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1. In a rare treat, Central Florida audiences will hear two sonic masterpieces back to back, Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. Respighi wanted to create a soundtrack to life in Rome that would encapsulate everything from the sounds of nature to the boisterous sounds of the festivals. Featuring an enlarged orchestra, these two larger-than-life works are rarely performed during the same concert.

Tosca
February 11 & 12, 2012

Giacomo Puccini | Tosca

The Space Coast Symphony launches its Opera Series with one of the most gripping operas written, Tosca. Once dismissed as a “shabby little shocker,” Tosca now reigns as one of the world’s most popular operas. Expect high passion, dark jealousy and bloody murder in this thrilling unstaged production. There are but a few moments seen on stage that are as magnificently shocking and shattering as the ending of Tosca.

American Icons
February 24 & 25, 2012

Jeffrey Biegel, piano
Kenneth Fuchs, composer
Hal Gibson, guest conductor

Opening this all-American program is Kenneth Fuchs’ Discover the Wild, a brilliant romp for orchestra. Fuchs, a favorite of conductor Aaron Collins, is one of the world’s leading composers and has been hailed as an “exemplar of the recovery of American music.” The Space Coast Symphony will perform one of Aaron Copland’s most important works, Rodeo. Copland’s exciting ballet is full of thrilling rhythms and memorable themes. This American classic won hearts from the moment it was premiered. Celebrated pianist, Jeffrey Biegel returns to Florida to dazzle audiences with a performance of George Gershwin’s unforgettable Rhapsody in Blue, brimming with youthful energy, beautiful graceful melodies, captivating rhythms, originality, and a sense of musical exploration. Biegel will introduce Florida residents to pop legend, Neil Sedaka’s Manhattan Intermezzo, a love note to New York City. Manhattan Intermezzo is a journey through the musical diversity of Manhattan, exploring its melting pot of nationalities and incorporating the sounds of city, including Latin, Asian, Russian, Broadway, and the New York of today and yesterday.

Blues, Boogie, Be-Bop, and Beyond
March 10 & 11, 2012

Carlia Alderman, vocalist

Join the Space Coast Jazz Orchestra as they present iconic pieces from the jazz roots of Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans, through the Boogie Woogie of Harry James and Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and Louis Prima’s swing and jump styles, Dizzy Gillespie’s be-bop, and a nod to the rock era with selections from the Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson libraries. The all star jazz band will perform works which include Horace Silver’s Cape Verdean Blues and Love for Sale. Another program highlight will be Lenon and McCartney’s, Norwegian Wood. The world-class saxophone section will be featured on Stan Kenton’s Opus In Pastels and the Supersax arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s tune, Be-Bop. Two of Dizzy Gillespie’s works will be featured including, Night In Tunisia and latin-jazz standard Manteca. Lead trumpet, John Pendenza will perform Maynard Ferguson’s soaring verion of Danny Boy, as a nod to St. Patrick’s Day. This sensational program will close with the biggest boogie woogie hit of all time, Hamp’s Boogie Woogie. The concert will also feature vocal sensation, Carlia Alderman.

French Classics
March 17 & 18, 2012

Jennifer Royals, clarinet

The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra present a variety of French Classics in this exciting program. The concert opens up with Berlioz’s rousing Roman Carnival Overture. The music of the overture opens with a brief English horn solo. Much of the rest of the work is taken up with the whirling saltarello dance and fragments of the aria. The entire score has the daring and brilliant orchestration that concertgoers correlate with Berlioz. Clarinetist Jennifer Royals performs Debussy’s lovely and intoxicating Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra. Enjoy the stirring sounds of Jacques Offenbach’s Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld which features the famous Can-Can. Completing the program are the popular suites from Bizet’s Carmen.

Verdi’s Requiem
March 23 & 24, 2012

Richard Wagner | Overture to Tannhäuser
Giuseppe Verdi | Requiem

Kimberly Saunders Randall, soprano
Regina Torres, mezzo soprano
Tesfa Yohannes Wondemagegnehu, tenor
Kyle Knappenberger, bass
Space Coast Symphony Chorus

The Space Coast Symphony closes its Masterwork Series with one of Central Florida’s largest productions to date. The concert opens with Richard Wagner’s powerful Overture to Tannhäuser. The opera itself, first presented in 1845, quickly became popular, but the overture almost immediately took on a life of its own as a concert piece played widely throughout concert halls. The concert closes with Verdi’s grand Requiem Mass—an epic work that everyone should hear live at least once in their lifetime. Drums thunder, trumpets blast, and a mighty chorus screams out in terror: Verdi’s Requiem isn’t exactly what you expect from religious music. But it’s exactly what you’d expect from the grand master of Italian opera. This masterpiece is full-blooded, scarily passionate, and achingly beautiful. Prepare to be astonished as the SCSO and Space Coast Chorus turn the volume up to “deafening” and closes the Masterworks Series in a blaze of passion.

Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies
April 28 & 29, 2012

The SCSO toasts Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the songwriting pair that forever changed the face of Broadway and Hollywood! Enjoy the memorable melodies from films such as Sound of Music, Flower Drum Song, Oklahoma, The King and I, South Pacific and more.