Salina Symphony season a mixture of the classical and popular

By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

What do Abraham Lincoln and Luke Skywalker have in common?

Theme music, as it turns out.

Two compositions by renowned American composers, Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" and John Williams' "Star Wars Suite," will be performed at an upcoming Salina Symphony concert highlighting 20th century music.

The concert, scheduled for Jan. 31, 2010, will be the third offering in the Symphony's 2009-2010 season, which begins Oct. 11 at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.

The overall theme of the season is Music Through the Ages, with each concert focusing on master composers from several musical time periods.

The five-concert series will feature baroque music from Bach and Handel, classical music by Mendelssohn and Berlioz and romantic music by Brahms, Wagner and Tchaikovsky.

The season also will feature guest performances from Salina, regional and national talent, said Salina Symphony executive director Adrienne Allen.

Season tickets go on sale July 10. Tickets are $80 for adults and $50 for students. Season ticket buyers also will be offered discounts on additional season offerings, which includes two Salina Youth Symphony concerts and the annual opera production by the Salina Symphony and Kansas Wesleyan University, both at the Stiefel Theatre.

This year's opera will be "The Marriage of Figaro," a comic opera by Mozart. Performance dates will be Nov. 6-7. Youth Symphony concerts are scheduled for Nov. 15 and April 11, 2010.

Fiorillo and his sax

The Salina Symphony season opens Oct. 11 with Classics and Beyond, which features performances of Mendelssohn's "Symphony No. 5 (Reformation)" and Berlioz's "Roman Carnival Overture."

The concert also will highlight Salina Youth Symphony concerto competition winner Charlie Fiorillo. Fiorillo, a senior at Salina South High School, will perform Ibert's "Concertino de Camera" on saxophone with the orchestra.

"It'll be a fun challenge for the orchestra to perform a piece that incorporates saxophone," Allen said.

The symphony's popular Family Holiday Concert is Dec. 13 and will focus on local talent, including a local Holiday Chorus and Peggy Simms' Dancers.

John Williams' "Star Wars Suite," the theme of the classic George Lucas space saga, kicks off Music of Our Time, a concert featuring 20th century favorites. Following "Star Wars" will be Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," a combination of music and excerpts from Lincoln's great speeches spoken by Salinan John Blackwell, dean of the chapel at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Also featured will be a performance with the orchestra by Acoustic Eidolon, a husband and wife musical duo from Colorado who perform on cello and a guitar-like instrument called a guitjo. Acoustic Eidolon previously performed at the Smoky Hill River Festival.

Jaw-droppingly good

Music of the Romantic period will be the focus of the March 7 concert, Romantic Interlude. Highlights include performances of Wagner's "Rienzi Overture" and Brahm's "Variations on a Theme by Haydn."

Pianist Behzod Abduraimov, who won the 2009 King Award for Young Artists piano competition in April at Kansas Wesleyan University, will return to Salina to perform Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1" with the orchestra.

Since his Salina victory, Abduraimov won the London International Piano Competition and is embarking on a tour of Australia, which necessitated rescheduling his performance with the Salina Symphony, Allen said.

"We'd hoped to have him in October, but since he won the London competition, he's in great demand," she said. "We're very lucky to get him now, before he hits really big. This kid is jaw-droppingly good. This is a rare opportunity for Salinans to see talent at this level."

The symphony season will end May 2 with Bach and the Baroque, featuring Bach's "Orchestra Suite" and Handel's "Dixit Dominus," featuring the Salina Chorale and Kansas Wesleyan University Philharmonic Choir. Soloists will be Michelle Cardinal Dolan, music instructor at Sacred Heart Jr.-Sr. High School, and Leslie Mangrum, vocal music instructor at Kansas Wesleyan University.

"There's a lot of variety this season," Allen said. "There's not only great classical music, but also great vocals, dancing and talented guest artists -- something for everyone."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.

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