GREEN BAY, WIS. (WFRV) – Civic Symphony of Green Bay and music director Seong Kyung-Graham have variety – and new elements – in store for the orchestra’s 28th anniversary season. Info here.
Four concerts will be presented in 2022-2023 by the community orchestra.
Three concerts will be at St. Norbert College in De Pere, with another at Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay. This is a change from past seasons when most concerts were held at Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay.
The October, February, and April performances at St. Norbert College include a choice between in-person and virtual tickets. The organization notes it is “committed to its mission of providing accessible symphonic music through interactive and innovative experiences.”
According to a press release, the schedule:
+ “Classical to Contemporary” – 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Walter Theatre in St. Norbert College’s Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts, 315 Third Street, De Pere.
The opening-night concert will take listeners on a journey from classical orchestral works to contemporary music from a living composer.
The locally based Griffon String Quartet will make a special appearance, first performing a traditional Joseph Haydn string quartet, and then later joining alongside the orchestra on a newer work featuring soaring lyrical melodies and exciting jazz rhythms.
● “Habanera” by Emmanuel Chabrier
● “L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1” by Georges Bizet
● String Quartet Opus 76, No. 2” by Joseph Haydn
● “‘Nemeth’ String Quartet Concerto” by Utar Artun
+ “Gridiron Gala with the Symphony” – 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at Lambeau Field Atrium, 1265 Lombardi Avenue, Green Bay.
This is a special gala event for an evening of dancing while the symphony plays dance music. Waltz, swing, blues, polka, rumba, and tango are on the program.
Prior to the concert, will be optional dance lessons by Green Bay Ballroom instructors, a stadium tour, and dinner on the balcony overlooking the atrium.
● “Danzón No. 2” by Arturo Márquez
● “Jump Swing Fever” arranged by John Wasson
● “Habanera/Seguidilla” from “Carmen” by Georges Bizet
● “Moondust (American Sketches No. 6)” arranged by Mike Lewis
● “Hoe-Down” from “Rodeo” by Aaron Copland
● “Waltz of the Flowers” from “The Nutcracker” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
● “Blue Tango” by Leroy Anderson
● A variety of waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss II
+ “Film Favorites” (Family Concert) – 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, at Walter Theatre in St. Norbert College’s Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts, 315 Third Street, De Pere.
The annual concert features film favorites, including:
● Overture to “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein
● “The Godfather: A Symphonic Portrait” by Nino Rota
● “Star Wars Medley” by John Williams
● “Selections from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” by John Williams
● “Mission: Impossible Theme” by Lalo Schifrin
● “Band of Brothers Suite” by Michael Kamen
● “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone Suite” by John Williams
● Music from “Frozen” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
+ “Coming to America” 3 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at Walter Theatre in St. Norbert College’s Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts, 315 Third Street, De Pere.
The season finale consists of an afternoon honoring America. Victor Herbert’s “American Fantasia” combines a variety of patriotic favorites, including a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Peter Boyer’s “Ellis Island” celebrates the historic American immigrant experience and the American dream. Innovative in its format, the work brings elements of the theater and multimedia into the concert hall, with historical images from the Ellis Island archives and spoken texts from “The Ellis Island Oral History Project.”
● “American Fantasia” by Victor Herbert
● “Ellis Island: The Dream of America” by Peter Boyer.
Support for the 2022-2023 season is provided by The George Kress Foundation, The Schneider Foundation, The New Dermatology Group, and The Kimberly-Clark Foundation.
Organization leaders are Dan Marbes, president; Theresa Pelkey, vice president; Rose Van Himbergen, treasurer; Paul Olesky, secretary; Seong-Kyung Graham, conductor; and Josh Hernday, executive director.
