Pianist Scott Holshouser Joins Shoals Symphony at UNA for Opening Concert of 2013-14 Season
Oct. 7, 2013
By Hannah Mask, Student Writer
FLORENCE, Ala. – The Shoals Symphony at UNA will kick off its 2013-2014 season at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13.
The performance – along with additional symphony concerts set for December, March and May – will be take place in Norton Auditorium on the University of North Alabama campus.
Sunday’s performance, “Reflections of Time and Place,” will begin with a fun, familiar tune, said music director Viljar Puu Weimann.
Weimann, who is also a music instructor for the UNA Department of Music and Theatre, said von Suppé’s “Light Cavalry Overture” is often used in movies and cartoons.
Guest artist Scott Holshouser, son of UNA First Lady B.J. Cale, will play piano for Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” a rhythmic, jazz piece. Sibelius’ “Symphony No. 1 in E minor” Op. 39 is the concert’s main number.
Weimann said “Symphony No. 1” is full of struggle and tension, reflecting the fact that Finland was striving for independence when the piece was written in 1899.
The Heritage Children’s Chorale, directed by Mary Stephenson, will accompany the Shoals Symphony for “A Christmas Gift,” the concert set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. Selections will be Chadwick’s “The Noel,” Bizet’s “L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2” and Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme,” arranged by Joseph Haydn.
“Spring in South America,” the Shoals Symphony concert set for Sunday, March 9, will feature the UNA Solo Competition winner. The program will include Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Chávez’s “Sinfonia India” from Symphony No. 2, Piazolla’s “Libertango” and Ginastera’s “Estancia” Op. 8.
Beginning in December, Dining with the Symphony will offer the option of purchasing tickets to dine exclusively in various restaurants. Brunch at Pickett Place will be offered in conjunction with the December and March programs, said Allen Wall, president of the Shoals Symphony Association board of directors.
Tickets for Dining with the Symphony are $25. Proceeds benefit Shoals Symphony Association Scholarships.
Weimann’s final performance with the orchestra, “Farewell Concert Celebration,” is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3.
The UNA Collegiate Singers, directed by Dr. Ian Loeppky, will perform with the symphony for that concert, and guest artist Dr. Yi-Min Cai will play piano. The program includes Rachmaninov’s “Symphony No. 2 in E minor” Op. 27 and Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy.”
A dinner option will also be available with the May performance, and details will be announced at a later date, Wall said.
“I want this season to be a celebration of the best in classical music since it is my last year with the orchestra here,” Weimann said. “I want to celebrate the very best of the orchestra and show the orchestra in the very best light.”
Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available at Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, or at the door. For details on the Shoals Symphony at UNA, or to order tickets, call the UNA Department of Music and Theatre at 256-765-5122 or visit http://www.una.edu/shoals-symphony/.