The musicians of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra hope to make some noise with the organization’s 2017-18 season’s final performance, “Sensational Finale,” at the Kimball Theatre May 21-22.
The climactic concert covers Bach’s “Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major,” Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” and Saint-Saens’ “Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 55.”
“The season finale is a program featuring some of the greatest composers who ever lived,” said conductor and music director Janna Hymes.
Carolyn Keurajian, the WSO’s executive director, said the repertoire plays to the ensemble’s strengths as a smaller orchestra.
“We have the ability to play these very select, small pieces that musicians don’t necessarily have opportunities to play,” she said. “It’s just a very interesting experience. These are works that you can’t hear all the time. They’re unique.”
The concert comes as as the cherry on top of a season Keurajian said was well-attended. April’s concert surrounding Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which incorporated several guest musicians and more than 200 choral singers, was among the WSO’s largest scale productions.
“It’s been a fantastic season. It’s been a varied season,” Keurajian said. “We’re very pleased.”
The symphony’s Side-by-Side concert series, which Hymes launched in 2013 to provide students with opportunities to practice and play alongside more seasoned musicians, also continued to grow as it returned for its third concert at Jamestown High School April 29. The latest endeavor paired the WSO’s professional musicians with members of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra.
“The response we’ve had from the students has been very positive. They love the mentoring part of it,” Keurajian said.
Keurajian said the program also helps lift some of the burden placed on music teachers and might encourage some students to stick with their art when they might have given up otherwise. She hopes the latest season finale similarly inspires hope.
“I just hope it’s a soothing, uplifting experience for the audiences,” Keurajian said. “Hopefully they’ll come away learning something a little different.”
Want to go?
“Sensational Finale” runs 8 p.m. May 21-22 at the Kimball Theatre. Tickets start at $48 or $20 for students, available by calling 229-9857.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by email at sbirkenmeyer@vagazette.com, by phone at 757-790-3029 or on Twitter @sethbirkenmeyer.
