Two threads run through the Augusta Symphony’s 70th anniversary season, which opens Friday, Sept. 27.
“Most of our classical programs are all very celebratory programs with a lot of upbeat music. There are no requiems on this season, nothing too somber,” said Dirk Meyer, Augusta Symphony conductor. “And since it’s our 70th anniversary — we were born, so to speak, in 1954 and our first season was 1954-1955, there are quite a few pieces from those years.”
The symphony season features a slate of classical music concerts as well as the Pops! series highlighting popular music; those include programs on Tina Turner and Bruce Springsteen. There’s also two-concert family series for younger audiences near Halloween and in December.
The first concert of the season is part of the Symphony Series and is called “Sounds of the Sea.”
Featured pieces are Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture;” Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4,” Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Two Latin American Dances,” and Debussy’s ”La Mer.”
“Shostakovich’s ‘Festive Overture’ is from 1954. It’s festive and brilliant. It’s the perfect opener,” said Meyer.
It ends with Debussy’s “La Mer” which musically describes the sounds of the waves and sea, he said.
The symphony season will feature a blend of time-honored composers as well as some contemporary and lesser-known ones, and this concert is no exception.
“I feel it’s important to not only do what we already know, but to expand our horizons. There’s so much music out there that is fantastic. There are pieces from underrepresented groups such as Black composers, female composers. I simply want to have a better representation of our community on our stage,” he said.
Gabriela Lena Frank is a 51-year-old California native whose mother is of mixed Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and whose father is of Lithuanian/Jewish descent.
“Gabriela explores her multicultural heritage through her compositions,” her website said.
Her Latin culture shows through in the piece the Augusta Symphony will perform.
Joining the symphony is Orion Weiss on the piano.
“I’ve wanted to bring him here for several years,” said Meyer, who has been trying to get Weiss to Augusta since before the pandemic.
“One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of American musicians, the pianist Orion Weiss has performed with the major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic,” according to Weiss’s website.
To learn more about the Augusta Symphony season or to get tickets to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. concert at the Miller Theater, visit the symphony website.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
