Chamber Orchestra to Perform Schubert and Tchaikovsky
KEENE, N.H. 11/7/05 - The Keene State College Chamber Orchestra will perform works by Schubert and Tchaikovsky on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Theatre of the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for KSC students, senior citizens, and youth age 17 or younger. Call the box office at 603-358-2168.
The forty-member orchestra, directed by KSC artist-in-residence Don Baldini, will perform Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 7, The Great C-major, as well as excerpts from Peter Tchaikovsky’s holiday ballet, The Nutcracker. The 45-minute Great C-major symphony is considered among Schubert’s most masterful compositions. Excerpts from the well-known and loved Nutcracker will get the audience into a joyful holiday spirit.
The KSC Chamber Orchestra is composed primarily of KSC students and includes some community members. Baldini also conducts the KSC Jazz Ensemble, which will present the big band themes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, and others on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Redfern Arts Center.
Baldini came to Keene State after a professional career as a studio musician in Los Angeles. He appeared for 13 years with the “Tonight Show” Orchestra and toured with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee, and the Harry James and Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabakin bands. He can be heard on the soundtracks of “The Little Mermaid” and “St. Elsewhere” and broadcasts at Disney World and the Epcot Center. He currently performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Dartmouth Symphony, Opera North, the Keene Chamber Orchestra, and several local chamber music and jazz groups. With the Cincinnati Symphony, Baldini recently recorded the music of Nelson Riddle for a CD released on the Telarc label.