The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) will open the 2015 – 2016 Season with Dvorak, Grieg & Lash on Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 7:30pm in Woolsey Hall. Led by NHSO music director William Boughton, the season will begin with Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony, Sibelius’ Swan of Tuonela, and the first installment of the NHSO’s newest commission, the Lash/Voynich Project, written by Yale faculty member and composer Hannah Lash. Concert highlights will also include NHSO New Generation Artist Michael Brown returning to the stage of Woolsey Hall for Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor.
This concert will be the NHSO’s 2015 – 2016 Season School Night at the Symphony, when the NHSO invites all K-12 students, teachers, staff, and their families to attend free of charge. (Those interested must register in advance by emailing Education@NewHavenSymphony.org.) “School Night at the Symphony is one of the NHSO’s many free music education offerings for students and families; other events our include free Family Concert Series each Winter and our free KidTix program, available at all NHSO performances,” says NHSO Executive Director Elaine C. Carroll.
About the Lash/Voynich Project
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is embarking on a two-year journey with Hannah Lash, the NHSO’s new Composer-in-Residence, as she writes the most monumental work of her career thus far– a complete Symphony inspired by the mysterious Voynich Manuscript housed in Yale’s Beinecke Library.
Written in Central Europe at the end of the 15th or during the 16th century, the origin, language, and date of the Voynich Manuscript—named after the Polish-American antiquarian bookseller, Wilfrid M. Voynich, who acquired it in 1912—are still being debated, along with its puzzling drawings and undeciphered text. Described as a magical or scientific text, nearly every page contains botanical, figurative, and scientific drawings of a provincial but lively character, drawn in ink with vibrant washes in various shades of green, brown, yellow, blue, and red.
The NHSO will premiere each of the Symphony’s four movements over the course of two seasons, with the first movement, “Herbal,” to be performed at the Opening Night concert, Dvorak, Grieg & Lash, on October 1, 2015. The second movement, “Astronomical,” will be premiered on May 19, 2016, at Woolsey Hall in New Haven, CT. The third movement, “Biological,” will be premiered in the Fall of 2016 and the entire Symphony, including the fourth movement, “Cosmological,” will be performed in the Spring of 2017.
The NHSO is currently seeking $5,000 in community support for this project through Kickstarter; the project goal must be met by Midnight on Friday, October 9 for the NHSO to receive the funding. Music lovers around the world can learn about the project, provide support, and receive special donor rewards by visiting www.kickstarter.com/projects/nhso/lash-voynich-project.
The Lash/Voynich Project’s defining feature will be the involvement and partnership of the Greater New Haven community and music lovers connected electronically across the globe in the working process and creation of this commission. Throughout the composition process, Lash will write and video blog about her progress on the piece, walking the audience through the creation of this brand-new work. Updates can be found on Kickstarter, as well as social media and www.NewHavenSymphony.org/Lash-Voynich-Project.
About NHSO New Generation Artist Michael Brown
This season will feature three NHSO New Generation Artists, rising stars of the Classical music world hand-picked by William Boughton to perform with the NHSO. Opening night will feature pianist and composer Michael Brown, winner of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant. His recent engagements include debuts with the Seattle and Maryland Symphony Orchestras; a Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium debut with the New York Youth Symphony; and recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Louvre, Alice Tully Hall, and Weill Hall. His compositions have been performed at Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Chamber Music Northwest, and in such venues as the Kennedy Center, (Le) Poisson Rouge, and SubCulture. He is the first prize winner of the 2010 Concert Artists Guild Competition and was recently appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor of Piano at Brooklyn College. He is a Steinway Artist and a member of Chamber Music Society Two.
Tickets: Adult tickets are $15- 74. College student tickets are $10. This performance is School Night at the Symphony, which allows K-12 students, teachers, staff and families to attend for free; School Night attendees must register in advance by emailing Education@NewHavenSymphony.org. 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.
Pre-Concert Activities:
Symphony Supper: Indulge in a delicious Symphony Supper with other music lovers at Union League Cafe prior to the performance; visit NewHavenSymphony.org or call 203.865.0831 x18 for details.
Prelude: Join the NHSO for an intriguing free pre-concert discussion with Composer-in-Residence Hannah Lash from 6:30-7:00pm at Yale’s Sudler Hall the night of the performance.
School Night at the Symphony is sponsored by First Niagara Bank Foundation. The Lash/Voynich Project receives support from Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University. The NHSO Architectural Sights and Sounds sponsors are Jay Bright Architects and Pelli Clark Pelli Architects. The Classics Series media sponsor is the New Haven Register. KidTix and Blue Star Tix are sponsored by Frontier Communications. Symphony Suppers are sponsored by ARIA, a subsidiary of Guilford Savings Bank.
