Symphony Nova presents Play Ball! - Baseball concert with dynamic young professional musicians

Feb. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- “Play Ball” Feb. 8 and 10:  Symphony Nova - musicians benefit from professional training, some graduated to orchestras around world

“Pops: Play Ball!” is the theme of Symphony Nova’s concerts on Friday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 10 in Boston and Wrentham, to celebrate spring training and the upcoming baseball season.  Works by John Williams, Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, Franz Liszt and Neil Diamond will be performed.

New England’s first advanced professional training orchestra, Symphony Nova (http://www.symphonynova.org/), will feature soloist Adam Frey (pictured), a worldwide leader in Euphonium performance.  He has soloed with orchestras worldwide, including the Boston Pops, Cheju Symphony Orchestra (South Korea), and the U.S. Army Orchestra. Local voice-over talent, Chris Schroeder, will narrate “Casey at the Bat”.

Concerts are Fri., Feb. 8, 8 p.m., Old South Church, Boston, and Sunday, Feb. 10, 3 p.m., King Philip Regional High School, Wrentham.  Tickets are $25 at SymphonyNova.org and at the door.

Symphony Nova has enabled musicians to move up the career ladder in classical orchestras in the U.S. and around the world through high-level performing opportunities and collaborations, coaching, master classes and other training.  On these concerts, guest performer Tim Genis, Principal Timpani of the Boston Symphony, will join the orchestra.  Recently, Jorja Fleezanis, former concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony, provided a well-received master class.  During his visit, Frey will speak on “Entrepreneurialism for Musicians”, focusing on his multi-faceted career that includes solo and orchestral euphonium performance, a publishing company, online music sales, and his role as director of IEI, a summer euphonium and tuba music festival.  

Musician testimonials include:

Roger Flatt, trombone, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra, Japan, since 2010:  “Symphony Nova was one of my favorite playing experiences during this point of my career.  These were concerts that I could look forward to on my list of not so exciting playing opportunities in Boston.”

Aram Demirjian, Assistant Conductor of Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City, MO since 2012, former Assistant Conductor of Symphony Nova:  “My time as assistant conductor of Symphony Nova played an invaluable role in helping me prepare for major conducting auditions.  It was the ideal environment in which to spend my first year out of graduate school, not just to help nurture my growth as a musician but also to learn first-hand about the inner workings of a symphony orchestra.

Thomas Haggerty, Principal Tuba, National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra, Beijing, China, since 2010:  “Symphony Nova provided a very positive environment of young professional players eager to continuing having good musical experiences while advancing their careers.”

Marina Krickler, horn:  “As the musicians’ representative to the Board, I feel strongly that Symphony Nova is filling a void for young professionals like myself.  It is a delight to rehearse and perform with my colleagues in an atmosphere where we feel respected.”

A fully paid professional orchestra of 65 members, Symphony Nova expanded from the Neponset Valley to Boston last fall, building a pipeline of talented, young, experienced, entrepreneurial, professional musicians who are already sitting in some of the finest orchestras in New England, the U.S. and the world.  It continues to present chamber concerts in primary and secondary schools, with the goal of educating the next generation of classical musicians and audiences.

Board President Susan Epstein said that a training orchestra is vital to New England’s musical community.  Recent graduates from conservatories and universities have few places to play that are better than their college experience.  Playing with Symphony Nova will give musicians the postgraduate experience they need to succeed.  By offering them an orchestra with continuing education, musicians will have a fighting chance at making a successful run at what is a challenging field to enter.