New Haven, CT August 20, 2010: Join the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) and Music Director William Boughton on Thursday, September 16, 7:30pm, at Woolsey Hall for Lyrical Romance featuring Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Brahms’ beloved Symphony No. 1 and Elissa Lee Koljonen performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor. Preview Performance: Wednesday, September 15, 7:00pm, New Canaan High School.

When Brahms was only twenty, Schumann declared him “the chosen one” to continue Beethoven’s symphonic tradition. This pressure weighed heavily on the composer, who stated “you have no idea how it feels to hear behind you the tramp of a giant.” After fifteen years of painstaking work, Brahms’s dramatic Symphony No. 1 does not disappoint.

Bruch followed in the footsteps of Brahms’s Romantic classicism. His well-loved Violin Concerto No. 1 will be performed by the celebrated young violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen. Ms. Koljonen has thrilled audiences and critics in over one hundred cities throughout the world, initially receiving international acclaim when she became the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Her playing has been lauded by the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki) as “sparkling, sensual and personal” and Dan Tucker of the Chicago Tribune writes, “She displayed boundless technique and musicianship”. Ms. Koljonen is a protégé of the great Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. Through his influence, she continues the legacy and tradition of Leopold Auer and his legendary school of violin playing.

Tickets ($10-65) for both performances can be purchased by contacting the NHSO Box Office at (203) 865-0831, ext. 10 or by visiting newhavensymphony.org.

This concert series is made possible in part by the generous support of Town Fair Tire Centers, Inc. and Comcast, and the New Haven Register.