“Winning Connections” Closes LPO Season Sunday at LCC
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Apr 15, 2011, 0 Comments
Courtesy Steve Harmon,
The final concert of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra’s 32nd season takes place on this Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at Laredo Community College’s (LCC) Guadalupe and Lilia Martínez Fine Arts Center.
Tickets are on sale at the door for $25 for adults and $17 for seniors. Students with current ID can attend free of charge based on available seating.
Titled “Winning Connections,” this final concert features the winner of the Second Annual Laredo ConcertoCompetition, Justin Balli, cellist, who will perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra.
Balli is a Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) senior majoring in music and a student of Brendan Townsend, LPO music director and assistant professor of music at both TAMIU and LCC. As a senior in high school, Balli was concurrently enrolled at LCC as a cello student, making this “connection” a true reflection of the tri-partite agreement between LCC, the LPO and TAMIU.
Also featured will be music students from area high school bands joining with the LPO brass and percussion sections to perform Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Copland wrote the famed selection in 1942 in response to a call from Eugene Gossens at the Cincinnati Symphony who wanted composers to write fanfares to uplift audiences depressed by the U.S. entryinto World War II. Curious about the title Copland gave the piece, Gossens decided that the premiere would correspond with tax time. Copland’s reply was “I am all for honoring the common man at income tax time.”
Other works on the program include the world premiere of “Connections” by Dr. David Manuel García, director of bands at TAMIU and the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence. His work brings out the spirit of Laredo with touches of Mariachi, Flamenco, and classical music throughout.
The opening work will be the Overture to Hansel & Gretel by Humperdinck, and the concert will close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.
“This is one more example of a concert that has a little bit of something for every taste,” said Maestro Brendan Townsend, “We are very happy that the community is so engaged with the Orchestra and we look forward to announcing the coming season.”
To that end, Sunday’s concert patrons will have the opportunity to sign up for an “Early Bird Surprise.” By reserving their season tickets for next season, patrons will receive a complimentary CD mailed to them of highlights from this past season.
For more information contact the LPO at 956.326.3042 or email laredophilharmonic@gmail.com.
