The Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale (BSO&C) introduces the 2016-2017 season lineup. The 66th season presents a concert series of six performances and six special events. The 2016-2017 season is proudly sponsored by The Oakland Companies.
On September 24, 2016, Music Director Anne Harrigan kicks off the season with a performance of Just Dance!, containing pieces from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and a medley by Gershwin. Dancers from The Grand Rapids Ballet Company will join the BSO&C on the Alberta Bair Theater stage to perform their expert collaboration. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake musically and visually expresses the Russian folktale of a cursed princess, Odette, who is transformed into a swan by a sorcerer. In the tale, Prince Siegfried is in love with Princess Odette and confronts the antagonists Sorcerer Von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile Rothbart. In the second section of Just Dance!, The Grand Rapids Ballet Company will perform to the accompaniment of Gershwin’s legendary pieces. George Gershwin was one of the greatest composers of the 20th Century, producing pieces like Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess, and a rich collection of film scores. Being a composer with a skill for film collaboration, Gershwin’s pieces are already primed for visual interpretation, which will be delivered to Billings on September 24, 2016.
On October 15, 2016, BSO&C presents Music of the Masters, a return to the revolutionary ideas of classical and romantic composers George Handel, Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Music of the Masters will feature pianist Brian Ganz. Brian Ganz is a world-renowned travelling pianist who has gained the utmost respect from around the globe. Brian Ganz’s performances have been described as “spectacular”, “breathtaking”, “splendid”, and “model”, by St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Ganz has now been labeled “one of the leading pianists of his generation” by his former campus, John Hopkins University. Brian has expertly performed in Belgium, Monte Carlo, London, Buffalo, Baltimore, Brussels, Rotterdam, Verona, Helsinki, Paris, and even Tokyo. On October 15, Ganz will perform Haydn’s final symphony, Symphony No. 104, known as the London Symphony. Haydn’s London Symphony was the grand conclusion to the composer’s prolific career, premiering at the King’s Theatre in London on May 4, 1795. Ganz will also perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, which was premiered at the final concert that Beethoven was featured as his own soloist on December 22, 1808. Beethoven dedicated his concerto to Archduke Rudolph, who was a dear friend to the genius musician. The performance will also present Handel’s composition, Concerto Grosso Opus 3. Together, Brian Ganz and the musical masters are colliding onto the stage of the Billings Symphony Orchestra to deliver an expert performance to the Billings audience.
On December 17, 2016, the BSO&C celebrates the holidays with the performance of Holiday Pops, featuring the Billings Symphony Chorale and X-Factor finalist, Rachel Potter. Rachel Potter was born in New Orleans and raised in Florida. Throughout her childhood she was surrounded by music from her parents, both classically trained, and the Baptist church. Using the skills she developed over the years, Potter took her voice to the world of Disney, and began performing as characters from the beloved creative enterprise. After a while, Broadway took notice of the young singer’s talent, and brought her to the stage in roles from The Addams Family, Evita, and Wicked. From Broadway, Potter kicked off her solo performance career through songwriting and rising through the obstacles of the hit tv show, X-Factor. Her performance of Queen’s Somebody to Love gained her international recognition, and now she is a nationally-recognized solo performer and songwriter. Since X-Factor, Rachel has performed with the band Restless Road, released her single The Verdict, and released her album Not So Black and White.
On February 4, 2017, BSO&C presents the mesmerizing and hypnotic melodies of Northern Lights. The performance will include music from Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, featuring violin soloist Simone Porter, and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concertowas considered a novel and innovative concept during his time, despite its traditional form and presentation, making it one of the most popular concertos in history. The concerto is made up of distinctive characteristics that influenced many other composers of the romantic era. Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 is described by the composer as a “…confession of the soul”. The public adored his composition at the time of its release as well as in the present, calling it the “Symphony of Independence,” and saying it is imaginative, grandiose, even magical.
On March 11, 2017, BSO&C presents The Big Brass, featuring Rex Richardson on trumpet. The Billings Symphony Orchestra has prepared a compilation of pieces from Joseph Haydn to Louis Armstrong. Rex Richardson has been called “A true national treasure” by Dave Douglas, another jazz trumpet star. Receiving commendations by jazz legends has been the theme of Richardson’s life, pursuing status in the jazz and classical realms since his years in high school. Moving from Washington D.C., where he received a foundation of virtuosic determination, he was received by jazz legends and the musically integrated streets of Chicago, Illinois. Rex turned Chicago into his playground, performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago while studying under Vincent Cichowitz. Richardson’s career got the boost it needed from Chicago and launched him into performances with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and the hailed jazz group, Rhythm & Brass. When he is not performing on any one of five continents, Rex is teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University, Ithaca College, London’s Trinity College of Music, and the Royal Northern College of Music. Richardson’s showcase of fine-tuned skills and virtuosic training will leave an impression that Billings will not forget.
The Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale will perform A Mass for Peace on April 22, 2017. Karl Jenkins composed The Armed Man, A Mass for Peace in 1999, commissioned by The Royal Armouries Museum. The mass was written as an anti-war sentiment in response to the Kosovo Crisis in 1998-1999. His composition features lyrics from Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Sankichi Toge. Jenkins also implanted lyrics from religious texts, including the Islamic call to prayer, Psalms and Revelation from the Bible, and the Mahabharata. Merging these ideas with the Ordinary of the Mass, Jenkins clearly portrays the theme of peace to audiences around the world.
BSO&C also has an impressive lineup of special events throughout the 66th season, featuring the chorale, the San Diego Ballet, and many more acclaimed performers.
On November 5 & 6, 2016, the Billings Symphony Chorale will perform at St. Patrick Co-Cathedral. Following later in the month, the San Diego Ballet will return to Billings to perform the annual holiday tradition, The Nutcracker on November 26 & 27, 2016.
In December of 2016, BSO&C has two special events for the season. The Holiday Tour of Homes returns on December 10. The second event is the New Year’s Eve Concert on December 31, which will feature special headlining bands specifically from the Billings area. The chosen local bands are still to be announced.
On January 21, 2017, BSO&C presents Family Concert: Fractured Fairy Tales. This performance is driven by the purpose of inspiring the imagination of children through fairy tales that are known and loved by parents and children alike.
To conclude the season, BSO&C will make Pioneer Park its stage and present Symphony in the Park on June 25, 2017.
The 2016-2017 season of the Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale is proudly sponsored by The Oakland Companies. The host hotel for the 66th season is The Northern Hotel.