The Canton Symphony Orchestra opens its classical MasterWorks Series by celebrating the 100th birthday of legendary composer, conductor, and educator Leonard Bernstein. This first concert of the classical season is on October 6, 2018 at 7:30pm at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center. This concert is sponsored in part by the generosity of The Wendling Foundation and Western Reserve PBS.
To open the concert, the Canton Symphony Orchestra performs a fully staged version of Bernstein’s one-act opera, Trouble in Tahiti, directed by Craig Joseph. While the name suggests a tropical plot, this rarely seen opera actually depicts the imperfect life in American suburbia in the 1950s. Even though everyone tries to put on a good face, there are looming troubles down below the surface. This performance will feature Ellie Jarrett Shattles (mezzo-soprano), and Dan Boye (baritone) as the main characters Dinah and Sam. The jazz trio, a group essential to the plot, is sung by Hilerie Klein Rensi, Scott Esposito, and George Milosh.
After intermission, the Canton Symphony Orchestra premieres To LB: A Thank You Note, a commissioned tribute to Leonard Bernstein by local composer Eric Benjamin. Benjamin is a regular name in the program with the Canton Symphony, with compositions performed such as The Secret Gift and An Occasional Overture, both premieres done by the Canton Symphony as well. For the end of the concert, the audience gets to dance in the aisles with Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, pulling all of the audience favorites from Bernstein’s beloved musical. Before the concert, the Canton Symphony Chorus will perform a small concert with a selection of Bernstein vocal works. The choral prelude starts at 6:30, and the orchestra concert starts at 7:30.
Tickets for the Canton Symphony Orchestra concert on October 6, 2018 range in price from $28-$48 and are available online at www.cantonsymphony.org, by phone at 330-452-2094 or in person at the Canton Symphony Orchestra administrative offices in the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2331 17th Street NW in Canton weekdays 9am-5pm.
Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 80th anniversary and is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain residents of Stark County and beyond. The orchestra performs classical, holiday, and a variety of educational programs in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, 2323 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio, as well as other venues in Stark County. For more information, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org or call (330)452-2094. Administrative offices are located at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton OH 44708.
