New Haven, CT (February 27, 2014): The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) presents a spectacular evening of music celebrating the summit of German romanticism! Music Director William Boughton conducts The Huntsmen of Wagner, Strauss & Beethoven on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30pm at Woolsey Hall in New Haven and on Sunday, March 30 at 3:00pm at Valley Regional High School in Deep River as part of the Essex Winter Series.
The program begins with Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, a gentle song of contentment and gratitude composed for his wife Cosima and premiered on the staircase of their home on her birthday in 1870. NY Philharmonic Assistant Principal Hornist Leelanee Sterrett then takes the stage to perform Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2, which presents the horn first in a gentle and lyrical fashion and then through the fanfare gymnastics of the final movement which shows off the soloist’s virtuosity. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale), an innovative piece that portrays nature through five descriptive movements: “Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Country,” “Scene by the Brook,” “Merry Gathering of the Country Folk,” “Thunderstorm,” and “Shepherd’s Song, Glad and Grateful Feelings after the Storm.”
LEELANEE STERRETT, a former New Haven Symphony Orchestra hornist, joined the top echelon of classical musicians when she won her spot at the New York Philharmonic as Assistant Principal and Utility Horn in June 2013. She is also an alumna of The Academy, Carnegie Hall’s collective of young professionals and music advocates, and a former member of Ensemble ACJW. A Michigan native, Ms. Sterrett grew up in a musically enthusiastic family and attended Interlochen Arts Academy. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Her primary teachers include William Purvis, Douglas Hill, and Julie Schleif. Ms. Sterrett has spent summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific and Sarasota music festivals, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She is a past prizewinner in the International Horn Competition of America and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program.
Tickets for the performance at Woolsey Hall ($15-69) can be purchased at 203.865.0831 x10 or www.NewHavenSymphony.org. Student tickets are always $10. KidTix are free for kids ages 6-17, with a paying adult. Blue Star tickets are free for the families of active duty military. To purchase tickets for the performance in Deep River, visit www.essexwinterseries.com.
Concert co-sponsors: Evergeeen Woods and Crest Auto Group. Season Media Sponsor: New Haven Register. Clinton Media Sponsor: Shore Publishing.
