Symphony NH opens Redfern season with Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein & Rodgers

Symphony NH plays some of the greatest music created by beloved American composers Gershwin, Rodgers, Copland, and Bernstein to open the 2015-16 season at the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College on Friday, September 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre. Jonathan McPhee conducts New Hampshire’s oldest professional orchestra through a concert featuring award-winning pianist Randall Hodgkinson performing George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, an orchestral work infused with Charleston rhythms, swing beats, and sultry blues. The “American Masters” program includes selections from popular musicals and ballets such as Leonard Bernstein’s music for three dances from On the Town, Aaron Copland’s cowboy ballet Rodeo, and Richard Rodgers’ Slaughter on Tenth Avenue ballet choreographed by ballet icon George Balanchine for the musical On Your Toes.

Tickets to the Symphony NH concert range from $45 to $30, depending on seating, and $5 for KSC students. For tickets, contact the Redfern Box Office, open Monday to Friday, noon to 6 p.m., call 603-358-2168 or order online at keene.edu/arts/redfern. See a video clip and more information about Symphony NH’s performance and the free activities surrounding this event at keene.edu/arts/redfern.

Randall Hodgkinson, piano, the featured soloist for the September 25 concert, is a member of the Boston Chamber Music Society. He has given solo performances with orchestras of Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, and New York. He has recorded solo music of Donald Martino and Roger Sessions and concerti of Gardner Read and Morton Gould. He performs two-piano, four-hand literature with his wife, Leslie Amper.

Now in his eighth season as Music Director and Principal Conductor of Symphony NH, Jonathan McPhee is equally at home as a conductor for the symphony, ballet, and opera. As Music Director for Boston Ballet, he has received critical acclaim for his work with the company and orchestra, which is the second largest musical organization in Boston. McPhee also serves as Music Director for the Lexington Symphony. Recent guest appearances include the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra in Boston, National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

There are several free activities surrounding the Symphony NH concert all of which take place at the Redfern Arts Center.

• A Music of Gershwin workshop with Jonathan McPhee and Randall Hodgkinson on Wednesday, September 23, at 2 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall. The workshop touches on Gershwin’s career, and place in music history, with a focus on conducting and piano, the characteristics of the Gershwin Concerto, and the practical issues of working with a soloist and conductor. The discussion will be followed by a short piano masterclass for music students. This lecture is a collaboration with the KSC Music Department and is free and open to the general public.

• A preconcert talk with KSC Music Professor Joseph Darby at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 25, in the Alumni Recital Hall. Composers Bernstein, Gershwin, Rodgers, and Copland are among the leading twentieth-century composers in the fields of American popular music, musical theater, and concert music. Darby discusses their many contributions to American music and provides insights into the history of On The Town, Rodeo, Concerto in F, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. This lecture is free and open to the general public.

• A post-show reception and meet and greet with Symphony NH musicians in the main lobby immediately follows the concert.

For questions or more details on these activities, please contact Redfern Assistant Director, Sharon Fantl, sfantl@keene.edu.