Allegro Dec 2019

DEC-JAN 2019/2020

Message from the President Celebrate the Holidays with the LSO on December 13! Set aside Friday, December 13 at 7:30 pm for the LSO Holiday Concert, but act NOW to get your tickets. Last year this concert sold out at least 2 weeks before the concert! This is not an ordinary concert. It’s a festive evening of celebration and singing. You will feel like you are a part of a grand mass choir as you sing along with favorites, such as “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” or “The 12 Days of Christmas” or “ O Come All Ye Faithful,” and more. You are surrounded with joyous music! Not only will you enjoy singing favorite holiday songs with chorus and orchestra, but you will experience a wide variety of wonderful sounds of the season. Featured performers include soprano Adelaide Trombetta, the Lynchburg

Happy Holidays with the LSO

It’s time for the most exciting event of the Season, the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Concert. Happy Holidays with the LSO is going to be a holiday performance with a unique twist. The concert will be conducted by LSO President Hugh Ballou, and LSO Music Director and Conductor David Glover. Featured guests will include soprano soloist Adelaide Trombetta, the John L. Hurt Elementary Chorus, and the Lynchburg Symphony Festival Chorus.

“People will get a chance to sing with the Orchestra, and be a part of the concert,” said Ballou. The concert will include many traditional holiday songs and carols, during which the audience can join in and sing along. Contemporary holiday music will also be featured, including music from the movie Frozen. “I’m thrilled with the guests that we are bringing,” said Glover. “I’m excited that we could create a show that is diverse.”

Call the ACOA for tickets at 434-846-8466

continued on page 3

1

LSO president continued from page 1 Symphony Festival Chorus, Diamond Hill Singers, and the John L. Hurt Elementary school choir. I have been invited back to recruit a festival chorus and to conduct this program again. Our new Maestro, David Glover will also be directing several selections as well. He will also be conducting the LSO as they accompany the Nutcracker with the Charlottesville Ballet, that same week. Both programs will enhance your holiday preparation. The concert is in the newly remodeled Academy Center of the Arts on Main Street downtown Lynchburg, which is a perfect place to gather and savor a quality musical experience. In this lively program, there’s such a wide variety of music, there’s something that excites most every musical taste. Be sure to get tickets for both December programs (Holiday and Nutcracker) as well as for the Broadway concert on January 25, 2020. That program promises to be a sell out as well, so consider giving a holiday gift by purchasing LSO tickets. This year is off to a great start with lots of promise for the year as well as upcoming seasons. There are multiple opportunities for you to share your passion for music with the community by volunteering to help with the work of the LSO – no musical skill is required. We need people on committees with a wide variety of gifts. Email me if you would like to discuss ways you can participate president@lynchburgsymphony. org Please greet me at the next concert.

Adelaide Trombetta is a world- renowned Soprano, famous for her starring roles in operas and operettas such as La Bohème, Orphée aux enfers, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Fledermaus, and Die Zauberflöte. She has performed on many different stages across Europe and the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera House and Carnegie Hall, and has also been a guest soloist with various symphonic orchestras throughout her career. Trombetta studied dance and voice performance at the University of Illinois during her undergraduate years. She continued her education at Yale University, studying opera and earning both her Master of Music and Artist Diploma. Trombetta currently lives in Lynchburg with her husband Soloist Spotlight: Adelaide Trombetta

Volunteer Opportunities

Join us at the LSO in supporting the music in our community. Your contributions of time and talent will assist us in connecting to more people in our area as we engage different audiences with different musical preferences. You can share your writing talent in sharing stories about the work of the LSO in our schools and with other arts organizations. You can assist us in producing our many non-musical events. You can join a committee and share your talent with marketing, public relations, fundraising, concert support, and more. There’s even an opportunity for a volunteer coordinator to recruit and manage the volunteer teams. If you have an interest in participating as a volunteer with the LSO, please email Donna Whitehouse in the LSO office at donna@lynchburgsymphony.org

and children and is an Assistant Professor of Music and Voice at Liberty University.

Hugh Ballou President of the Board

2

The Little-Known History of the Well-Known Classic: Sleigh Ride One of the most iconic Christmas songs in America was not originally intended to be a Christmas song. In fact, the tune got its start during a summer heat wave. Composer Leroy Anderson and his family were living in Woodbury, Connecticut during the summer of 1946. One day during the heatwave, Anderson was outside working. As a way to cool himself off, he started thinking about the winter season. Anderson came up with a few different melodies that represented wintertime fun, one of which was the now well-known tune Sleigh Ride. The song, as its name implies, celebrates the excitement of winter by musically depicting a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh. Anderson included sound effects like sleigh bells, whip cracks, and the clip-clop of horses’ feet to create a fun, energetic atmosphere and bring the song to life. Originally, Sleigh Ride was an instrumental piece and lyrics were not added until two years after its premiere. Interestingly enough, the lyrics make no mention of Christmas at all, even though the song has traditionally become associated with the holiday season. Anderson started composing the enchanting piece in August of 1946 and completed it in February of 1948 after he and his family had moved to Brooklyn, NY a few months prior. The song made its debut at a Boston Pops concert in May of 1948 and a recording was released the following year. Sleigh Ride became an instant hit and was played in department stores all across New York City. It has since become one of the most popular songs of the Christmas season.

Broadway by Request

will join the LSO to enchant Lynchburg audiences with songs from many of these shows in addition to orchestral medleys. Glover believes that performing music from Broadway will expand the reach of the LSO. “This will give listeners a chance to hear Broadway music differently, with a full 60-piece orchestra,” he said, “In fact, some of these shows weren’t written for an orchestra as big as we are. This is a rare opportunity that you can’t get anywhere else.” “This show is going to be a ton of fun with amazing vocalists and an incredibly diverse selection of Broadway shows,” says Glover. “It won’t be something people will want to miss.”

The Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra is bringing Broadway to Lynchburg to sing in the New Year. On January 25, the LSO will be performing Broadway by Request. Music Director & Conductor, David Glover, believes this concert will be unlike any the orchestra has performed before. “The concert will consist of the best of the best from Broadway,” he said. The show will include arias, duets, and medleys from recent Broadway hits like, Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, and Wicked. Veterans of the Broadway production of Phantom, Sean MacLaughlin and Teri Hanson,

3

621 Court Street Lynchburg, VA 24504

Historic academy Theatre Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 7:30 pm

Broadway by Request

4 Playbill