The New Haven Symphony Orchestra will raise a glass and cheers to the beloved music and impressive beard of Johannes Brahms at Brahms & Mozart Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 7:30pm in Woolsey Hall. Audiences will experience the majesty of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, whose elegant musical lines epitomize the splendor and passion of the Romantic era. The NHSO also will celebrate a New Haven community treasure – the Yale School of Music – with music by Yale composition professor Martin Bresnick and a special guest performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 by Yale School of Music Dean Robert Blocker.
NHSO Music Director William Boughton, who will conduct this performance, says, “Brahms’ Fourth Symphony is one of the monuments of Western Art and delves deep into such a vast array of emotions through a wide use of musical forms. Brahms feared that the work would be too academic and rejected by audiences, but time has shown his fear to be unfounded, as it’s one of the most popular and loved of his symphonies.
Martin Bresnick
In our New Haven community we are fortunate to have such an abundance of riches with so many brilliant and talented people, so, it is fitting that we are able to our honor and celebrate one of the most gifted of them all – Martin Bresnick. Martin is Head of the Composition Faculty at Yale School of Music and is celebrating his 70th Birthday Year – Happy Birthday Martin from us all in the NHSO family!”
As an added experience for concert patrons, the NHSO will host “Beers, Beards & Brahms!,” a craft beer tasting event from 5:30-7pm in Woolsey Hall’s lobby immediately before the concert. Admittance to the tasting is included with the purchase of a concert ticket. There will be samplings available from Black Hog, No Worries, Thimble Island, and Two Roads brewing companies, and participants will be able to step out on the street to grab a bite to eat from such food trucks as Caseus’ “The Cheese Truck,” Food Extrovert, Fryborg, and the Cannoli Truck. Additionally, there will be a Brahms-inspired No-Shave-November beard contest with three categories: Longest, Best Effort, and Best Overall.
Robert Blocker has been the Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music at Yale University since 1995. He began his study of piano at the age of five, presenting his first public recital two years later. Today, he concertizes throughout the world. His engagements have included performances in the United States, Europe, Mexico, China, and Korea, Thailand, and several Pacific Rim countries. Recent orchestral engagements include the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, Houston Symphony, Monterey Philharmonic, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Korean Symphony and Daejeon (South Korea) Symphony.
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 family are free. For tickets and information call 203.865.0831 x20 or visit www.NewHavenSymphony.org.
Pre-Concert Activities:
Beers, Beards & Brahms!
Thursday, November 17 – 5:30 – 7pm – Woolsey Hall Lobby
Join the NHSO for a beer tasting, included with a concert ticket, in the lobby prior to the performance. Patrons will be able to sample craft beers from Black Hog, No Worries, Thimble Island, and Two Roads brewing companies, then grab a bite to eat at one of the food trucks parked outside. There will also be a Brahms-inspired No-Shave-November beard contest. Food costs are not included with concert ticket.
Prelude: Join the NHSO for an intriguing free pre-concert discussion led by Dr. Martin Bresnick from 6:30-7:00pm the night of the concert. The discussion will be held in Sudler Hall, which is located just a few doors down from Woolsey Hall on College Street. There will be directional signs posted on the sidewalk.
Brahms & Mozart is sponsored by Evergreen Woods. The Classics Series media sponsor is the New Haven Register. KidTix and Blue Star Tix are sponsored by Frontier Communications.
