NHSO’s Annual Fundraising Gala Party with Live Music by Eight to the Bar to Honor William Curran
NHSO to Play Repeat Performance at Wilton High School November 15
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) will celebrate Veterans Day with a WWII-inspired musical journey at Brothers in Arts on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 7:30pm at the Shubert Theater. Led by NHSO music director William Boughton, the concert program will feature Brothers in Arts, co-written and performed by 2015 Artist-in-Residence Chris Brubeck and French jazz musician Guillaume Saint-James, as well as Aaron Copland’s Quiet City featuring NHSO principal trumpet Rich Clymer and NHSO principal oboist Olav van Hezewijk.
Brothers in Arts was written in 2014 to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Liberation of Paris in WWII. It was born of a cross-cultural union: that between two composers and jazz musicians, the American Chris Brubeck, and the French Guillaume Saint-James, who drew upon personal inspirations to compose the piece’s eight movements. This work commemorates not only a critical event in the histories of the United States and France, but also a critical moment in the family histories of its composers.
Chris Brubeck says, “My dad [jazz legend Dave Brubeck] was in General Patton’s army and came through Normandy after D-Day. An Army captain heard him playing piano and had him form a band – The Wolf Pack Band – which toured with the USO shows. It was also the Army’s first integrated band. Guillaume’s father was a young boy whose life was saved when US field doctors performed an emergency appendectomy on him. His father heard American jazz while recovering, and later became a country doctor and amateur musician.”
The performance will feature Chris Brubeck on trombone and Guillaume Saint-James on saxophone, as well as French musicians, accordionist Didier Ithursarry, bassist Jerome Seguin, and drummer Thierry Arpino. Vocalists Megan Chenot, Samantha Talmadge, and Lisa Williamson will appear during an “Andrews Sisters” inspired moment and WQXR Classical music host Elliott Forrest will return to provide original video and choreographed historical photos to accompany the performance. (Mr. Forrest made his NHSO debut as the visual artist at last year’s “American Rhapsody” concert at the Shubert Theater.)
In addition to attending the concert, patrons have the opportunity to support the NHSO at a fundraising gala party at the Shubert immediately before and after the performance. In addition to celebrating the achievements of the NHSO and honoring Veterans, the gala will recognize event honoree William Curran for his philanthropic work in the Greater New Haven community. The gala activities include a benefactor pre-concert cocktail party at 5:30pm and a post-concert dessert and dancing party with live music by Eight to the Bar. Various ticket prices and participation levels are available.
The NHSO will repeat “Brothers in Arts” in Chris Brubeck’s hometown of Wilton, CT at Clune Auditorium at Wilton High School on Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 3:00pm.
Grammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck is the NHSO’s 2015 Artist-in-Residence; this year he has participated in NHSO music education initiatives that have reached more than 30,000 students statewide. Brubeck has created an impressive body of symphonic work while maintaining a demanding touring and recording schedule with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet and his trio Triple Play. He has worked with many diverse artists, including Frederica von Stade, Ben Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Bill Crofut, Meryl Streep, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Gerry Mulligan, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, Stephane Grappelli, Bobby Womack, Tower of Power, and Patti Labelle. His compositions have been performed by orchestras all around the world, including the prominent U.S. orchestras of Boston, Houston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
November 12 Concert Tickets: Adult tickets are $15 – $74. College student tickets are $10 and KidTix (children ages 7-17) are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Blue Star tickets for active military personnel and their immediate families are free. For tickets and information call 203.562.5666 or visit www.NewHavenSymphony.org.
November 12 Gala Tickets: Tickets to the Gala start at $75 for Veterans and Season Ticket Holders; $135 for the general public. Special priced tickets are available for patrons 40 and under for $33.94. For information on purchasing tickets to this event visit www.NewHavenSymphony.org/NHSO-Gala or call 203-865-0831 x20.
November 15 Concert Tickets: Adult tickets are $25 General Admission. College student tickets are $10 and KidTix (children ages 7-17) are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Blue Star tickets for active military personnel and their immediate families are free. For tickets and information call 203.865.0831 x20 or visit www.NewHavenSymphony.org.
The November 12 performance of Brothers in Arts is sponsored exclusively by Knights of Columbus. The November 15 performance of Brothers in Arts is made possible by a grant from The Tell Foundation with thanks to Catherine and Ed Romer. The NHSO Gala is sponsored by the Jewish Foundation and the Jewish Federation of New Haven and Yale New Haven Hospital. The Classics Series media sponsor is the New Haven Register. KidTix and Blue Star Tix are sponsored by Frontier Communications.
