Bangor, ME – The Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s 2018-2019 season opens on Sunday, October 7th with a program featuring acclaimed pianist Alon Goldstein as soloist in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The concert begins with Leonard Bernstein’s Simple Song, featuring mezzo-soprano Joelle Morris, and concludes with Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. Music Director and Conductor Lucas Richman leads the BSO as they embark on a season celebrating the Leonard Bernstein Centennial and highlighting diverse works.
When Alon Goldstein performed with the BSO in 2012, the Bangor Daily News wrote that he was “as fierce a player as he is delicate” and praised him for a “riveting showing.” Mr. Goldstein has since been heard around the world, with the New York Times hailing him as “an irresistible powerhouse.” With Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, audiences are in for a jazzy showcase of piano pyrotechnics.
Music Director and Conductor Lucas Richman chose Bernstein’s Simple Song as the very first piece audiences will hear as a “meditative hymn to the season ahead.” Excerpted from the composer’s legendary Mass, the Simple Song is a showcase for Maine-based singer Joelle Morris, while also highlighting a unique orchestration that includes guitar, electric bass, and organ. Later in the season, the BSO will perform Bernstein’s Serenade, as well as selections from Candide.
Sibelius’s powerful Symphony No. 2 is one of the Finnish composer’s best known works, offering a rousing close to the BSO’s opening concert.
Tickets are on sale now at bangorsymphony.org or by phone at 1-800-622-TIXX. Prices range from $20 to $45, with student tickets available for $15. The Know Your Orchestra Voucher Program also offers subsidized tickets for youth 18-and-under at just $5 when accompanied by an adult. The UBS Pre-Concert Talk will take place at 2 p.m. the day of the show.
On Friday, October 5th, the BSO is presenting its first “Deep Dives” program of the season at the Bangor Arts Exchange, 193 Exchange Street, at 12 p.m. This event includes lunch and offers an in-depth exploration of the composer Maurice Ravel’s life and work. Tickets and information at bangorsymphony.org/events.