NEWS RELEASE
Date: April 2, 2018
For Immediate Release
Photos Available Upon Request
Contact: Jeana Varney
Phone: 417.864.6683
Cell: 417.349.0906
jeana@springfieldmosymphony.org
411 N. Sherman Parkway
Springfield, MO 65802
Springfield Symphony to feature combined choirs of local universities
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony is thrilled to collaborate with the combined choruses from Drury, Evangel, and Missouri State Universities on some of the most beautiful pieces for choir and orchestra, at its Revolutionary Beauty classical concert on Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (525 S. John Q. Hammons Pkwy).
“The music on our Revolutionary Beauty concert is the kind of music that just takes your breath away with how gorgeous it is. There just aren’t enough superlatives to describe how beautiful the music on this concert is,” stated Kyle Wiley Pickett, music director/conductor for the Springfield Symphony. “This is close-your-eyes-and-listen-and-totally-bliss-out music, and we’re doing an entire evening of it, so it’s just one piece after another of some of the most beautiful music ever written for orchestra. The Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly is nothing short of spell-binding in its haunting beauty. The Promise of Living from Copland’s The Tender Land is full of a dramatic beauty. The Slaves’ Chorus from Verdi’s Nabucco seethes with powerful beauty. The Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana is jaw-droppingly, achingly, stunningly beautiful. And no concert celebrating ‘Beauty’ would be complete without Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, which is full of recognizable and, naturally, beautiful and romantic melodies.”
Pickett will deliver a pre-concert talk from the stage at 6:30 p.m. 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.
“We also will be playing Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, another huge, powerful, and beautiful piece about an old man dying, reviewing his life, and arriving in heaven,” said Pickett. “It’s a blow-the-roof-off kind of piece, and it’ll be thrilling for the orchestra to play and for the audience to hear.”
Join Pickett at a free monthly event, Behind the Baton, at Ocean Zen on Thursday, April 19 (4117 S National Ave) for the opportunity to hear Pickett talk about the music that will be performed at the April 21 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 Foster Hospitality Group, Rooney McBride & Smith, LLC, Margo S. Armstrong, Bryan Properties, and Mid-West Family Marketing.
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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