Dvořák’s Prophecy Symposium

March 16 – 30, 2022

South Bend Symphony Orchestra and St. Joe County Public Library to Host Dvořák’s Prophecy Symposium The three-week book discussion begins on Wednesday, March 16, from 7-8 p.m., at the St. Joe County Public Library’s Main branch, along with the option to join by Zoom. Led by Dr. Marvin V. Curtis, Chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and Dean and Music Professor Emeritus at IU South Bend, participants will discuss the book and its implications. Register to join the conversation. Copies of the book are available at the main branch of the St. Joe County Public Library or through Amazon or your local bookstore. Masks are required.

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Patriotic Pops Season Finale

Indiana Trust Pops Series

July 1, 2021 8:00 pm

Thursday, July 1, with “PATRIOTIC POPS SEASON FINALE.” Kick-off your holiday celebrations with favorites such as the 1812 Overture, Hymn to the Fallen, America the Beautiful, and more!   You will love hearing the Symphony under the stars while celebrating our nation’s history and heritage. *Rain date is 8:00 p.m. Friday, July 2.]>

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A Juneteenth Celebration

June 20, 2021 - On Demand

South Bend Symphony Orchestra Presents “A Juneteenth Celebration” on June 19 on WNIT, Michiana Public Media   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd_CmYzDpS8[/embed]   The South Bend Symphony Orchestra is proud to release a new, hour-long televised program entitled “A Juneteenth Celebration.” The program, which will air on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 9 p.m. on WNIT, Michiana Public Media, celebrates – through stories, music and poetry –Juneteenth, a holiday observed across the country celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. “This project is our Symphony’s tribute to a momentous day in the history of our country that has been often overlooked. I am pleased to be a part of bringing the history of Juneteenth and the stories and music of composers of African descent to our community,” said Symphony Board Member Dr. Marvin V. Curtis. The program features a twelve-musician string ensemble from the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, host Dr. Curtis, guest artists Pam Blair, and Emorja Roberson; and interviews with African American leaders Latorya Greene and Gladys Muhammad, alongside South Bend Symphony Orchestra Music Director Alastair Willis. The Symphony performs five works by composers of African descent including Jesse Montgomery, Joseph Boulogne, William Grant Still, and George Walker. This project reflects, in part, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra's commitment to the voices of South Bend’s African American community as expressed through continued dialogue and the power of the performing arts. “For years, many have wondered why the Black community celebrates Juneteenth. To us, it is our day of freedom. We sing songs that give us strength on days of sadness. We groove to the music that makes us laugh and feel good. We share stories that bind our community. This is our emancipation,” said composer and performer Emorja Roberson. “Equity, diversity, and inclusion is, I think, the most important priority for the South Bend Symphony Orchestra right now.  I am proud to be part of an organization that is ...

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Beethoven’s 5th & Rose of Sonora

Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series

May 23, 2021 2:30 pm

Witness the distinct majesty of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony alongside a violin concerto by George Clinton featuring acclaimed violinist, Holly Mulcahy. Holly Mulcahy  The Rose of Sonora Ludwig van Beethoven  Symphony No. 5 Program George S. Clinton  The Rose of Sonora  1. The Escape  2. Love and Freedom  3. Ambush  4. Death and Healing  5. Vengeance  Holly Mulcahy, violin  Ludwig van Beethoven  Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op.67  1. Allegro con brio  2. Andante con moto  3. Scherzo: Allegro - Trio  4. Allegro  Program Notes George S. Clinton (1947-) The Rose of Sonora “The Rose of Sonora is first and foremost a violin concerto. One of the most significant aspects of it to both Holly and me is that it be accessible to and engaging for today’s audience. It is composed in five scenes (movements) for solo violin, symphony orchestra, and male chorus, but in the style of an epic Western film score. One of the features of the solo violin part is the merging of traditional fiddle technique with classic violin technique, giving the main character, Rose, her voice. As a film composer I am used to composing to a story. After researching the lives of outlaw women of the old west, I decided to create my own story and heroine, The Rose of Sonora. Each of the five scenes tells part of her story. I believe that for most of us, listening to music creates images in our minds. I decided to use that as a way of presenting the concerto. Rather than a passive listening experience, it will be an interactive one. Prior to each scene being performed, a description of what is happening in that scene will be projected on a screen above the orchestra or read by a narrator. Inspired by the scene descriptions and the music they are hearing, by the end of the concerto, each member of the audience will ...

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Beethoven’s 8th

Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series

May 8, 2021 6:30 pm

  Program Quinn Mason Reflections on a Memorial Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   Violin Concerto No.3 in G, K.216 1. Allegro 2. Adagio 3. Rondeau. Allegro  Brendan Shea, violin Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F major 1. Allegro vivace e con brio  2. Allegretto scherzando  3. Tempo di Menuetto  4. Allegro vivace Program Notes QUINN MASON - Reflections on a Memorial ‘Reflection on a Memorial’ contemplates the passing of a person or a tragic event and meditates on this idea. In the composition, the listener experiences grief and mourning at first as we ponder and think deeply about events past, and at a brief moment in the climax – an enlightening moment – that can be seen as light through the darkness and a spark of hope. The composition is scored for string orchestra and begins with a soli for the viola section. I chose the viola section to begin this piece because of the mournful and singing character of the instrument’s sound. Also prominently featured throughout the composition are the voices of the solo violin and cello, which almost take on narrative roles; at the end, a solo cello reprises the viola line heard the beginning as a final mournful statement. There are four distinct sections in the piece: a somber, melancholy beginning, then a faster, tragic outburst of grief, followed by a calmer reflective passage, which features hopeful yet intense chords that build up to a light-infused climax. This is all brought together with a coda that is a faint memory of an earlier section of the piece, which becomes distant and fades into the abyss. Another one of my ‘open interpretation’ compositions, this piece can be used to commemorate any event or person, so that it may be performed in a variety of situations. Masonianmusic.com WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART - Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 Mozart’s five violin concertos are ...

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