Eastern CT Symphony Presents ''Pictures and Paintings'' at Feb 24 Concert

Speed Painting
This Ease, an atmospheric work commissioned by the LA Chamber Orchestra from the accomplished composer Hannah Lash opens this February concert. Guido Garaycochea, co-founder of Expressiones Cultural Center in New London, CT, joins the ECSO as a speed painter during this work. Describing his artwork as “an abstraction of dire and lost dreams”, Guido will paint alongside the orchestra, finishing when the music ends. The Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy provides funding for This Ease.
 
Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infant défunte (Pavane for a dead princess) displays his signature impressionistic style, using orchestration to paint the image of a princess that inspired the work. Featuring ECSO’s 2017 Instrumental Competition Winner, cellist Yi Qun Xu, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 closes out the first half. Tchaikovsky never composed a formal cello concerto, and this piece pays tribute to the Classical era with its structure. The concert will come to a glorious conclusion as the bombastic sounds of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition fill the Garde Arts Center. Orchestrated by Ravel, this work is also inspired by artwork, and Mussorgsky links the pieces together as though the listeners are walking through a museum. This concert is generously sponsored by Yale New Haven Health | L+M Hospital.
 
Ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert chat at 7 PM given by ECSO Music Director, Toshiyuki Shimada and guest artist Yi Qun Xu.  All attendees are also invited to a free post-concert reception hosted by board president, Bob Reed and his wife, Mary Reed. Ticket prices range from $28 to $62 with $12 tickets available for any person under 30 years of age, and active or retired military personnel. You can purchase tickets online at www.gardearts.org or through the Eastern Connecticut Symphony office at 860-443-2876.
 
Pictures from the Heart
Expressiones Cultural Center/ECSO collaboration with Yale New Haven Health | L+M Hospital
In anticipation to the extremely popular Pictures at an Exhibition, the ECSO and Expressiones are collaborating to bring Mexican artist Rodrigo Orozco Hernández, to work with existing arts therapy programs at L+M Hospital. The artwork done during these programs will be featured in a gallery show in the lobby of the Garde Arts Center during Saturday’s concert.

We are beyond excited to announce our 71st season’s lineup, curated by Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada. Exquisite soloists from near, far, and within our very own orchestra ranks will take the stage next year. The chosen programs will continue to highlight the orchestral excellence that has become synonymous with the ECSO. Major repertoire selections include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 among many others. Our season comes to a ravishing close through a celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th Anniversary with a concert presentation of Candide, a collaborative project uniting our artistic community for a presentation like no other in the region.

Visit www.ectsymphony.com for more information and follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) @ectsymphony
 
The ECSO offers a range of affordable seating options from $62 to as low as $12 for attendance to one concert. The ECSO will continue to offer those under 30 years of age and active or retired military members $12 tickets in premium sections. Patrons can also take advantage of the Pick 4 subscription, which enables people to schedule our concerts around their busy lives.
 
Founded in 1946, the mission of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra is to inspire, educate, and connect our communities through live orchestral music.