NEWS RELEASE
Date: September 28, 2017
For Immediate Release
Photos Available Upon Request
Contact: Jeana Varney
Phone: 417.864.6683
Cell: 417.349.0906
jeana@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony commemorates 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony will continue its “Revolution” theme which commemorates different historical anniversaries with the classical concert, The Reformation. The performance will feature Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony as well as Pianist Gabriela Martinez on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 on Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.
“We are using our October concert as a chance to reflect on the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation,” said Kyle Wiley Pickett music director/conductor for the Springfield Symphony. “It is almost impossible to overstate the cultural significance of the Reformation. The Reformation and its new church ushered in a new era of liturgical music, during which a composer named Johann Sebastian Bach rose to prominence. Bach almost single-handedly drove the beginning of Western music as we know it. Without Bach, there is no Beethoven. Without Beethoven, there are no Beatles. The beginning of the Reformation marks one of the largest turning points in all of Western culture and Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony is an exciting and dramatic tribute to Bach and the Reformation as an important historical event.”
Pickett will deliver a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. from the stage and pre-concert music will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall box office, and can be purchased by calling (417) 836-7678 or online at www.missouristatetix.com. Ticket prices range from $17 – $33 and discounts are available for students and seniors.
Join Pickett at a free monthly event, Behind the Baton, at Ocean Zen on Thursday, October 12 (4117 S National Ave) for the opportunity to meet Pickett and the featured soloist and hear about the music that will be performed at the October 14 concert. The meet & greet begins at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Pickett is available for any interviews or questions. Please feel free to email him at kwpickett@gmail.com or call at (417) 837-9422. The concert is being sponsored by All Saints Anglican Church, William T. White, Mediacom, and KWTO News Talk Radio.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
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