Press Release – Joyful Dances, Season Finale – 5.7.22

Friday, April 15, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: CALEB BAILEY, 860-443-2876, [email protected]

Click here for downloadable .pdf version

Check out our full 75th Anniversary Season Brochure

Joyful Dances – Saturday, May 7, 2022, 7:30pm
Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London, CT 06320

Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven, the evening begins with his Triple Concerto of 1803, featuring internationally acclaimed violinist, Elissa Lee Koljonen; Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, cellist Sophie Shao; and Steinway Artist pianist Eva Virsik. Following intermission, the ECSO performs Florence Price’s Dances in the Canebrakes, a charming, jazzy, three-movement suite. It was written for solo piano in 1953, the year of her death, and later orchestrated by William Grant Still, a Harlem Renaissance figure then known as the “Dean of Afro-American Composers.”

To festively conclude this milestone season, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus joins the orchestra under Music Director & Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada to present the glorious finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, his immortal setting of Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”, with soloists Sarah Yanovitch, Caroline O’Dwyer, Brian Cheney, and Gregory Flower.

Soloist bios and headshots are included and available at this link.

Chorus opportunity:

For those who have experience in choral singing and would like to help us celebrate from the stage, we are offering up an opportunity to join the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus for this concert to sing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 finale. The details are available at www.ectsymphony.com/chorus or by emailing [email protected] to learn more about the rehearsal schedule and details.

Covid Policy:

In order to safely celebrate our 75th anniversary season, we have implemented new concert attendance guidelines. All audience members will need to provide proof of a full course of vaccination for COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours from the start of the concert. Items you should bring for admission to the hall include a photo ID, photo or copy of your vaccination card, OR a photo, text, or email of a negative test result, where applicable. Masks will be required indoors at all times unless actively eating or drinking. Anyone unable or unwilling to comply with these guidelines may be asked to leave the concert, however refunds will be available in such cases.

These guidelines are subject to change as the circumstances require and if government and venue recommendations evolve.

ECSO general copy:
We are thrilled to announce our 75th Anniversary Season’s lineup, curated by Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada. This season marks the 12th year under the musical leadership of Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada. Visit www.ectsymphony.com for more information and follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) @ectsymphony. The ECSO offers a range of affordable seating options from $65 to as low as $12 for attendance to one concert. The ECSO will continue to offer those under 40 years of age and active or retired military members $12 tickets in premium sections.

Founded in 1946 by Norwegian immigrant, Victor Norman, the mission of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra is to inspire, educate, and connect our communities through live orchestral music.