“Visions of America” -- An Innovative Visual Concert Experience at the Maryland Theatre October 13 and 14
HAGERSTOWN, Md. – October 2, 2018 – The 37th season of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra opens October 13-14, 2018 at the historic Maryland Theatre with “Visions of America,” a visual concert experience of contemporary American music by Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, OSCAR winning composer John Corigliano, and “Night Owl” by GRAMMY® Award winning composer Michael Daugherty, which the MSO has co-commissioned with the Virginia Symphony. Opening night on October 13 also includes, free of charge with your concert ticket, access to “Savor Hagerstown,” a new in-theatre food and drink experience highlighting Hagerstown’s fabulous food and drink scene. Tickets range from $19 - $79 for adults and children under 18 attend free and are available at marylandsymphony.org or by calling 301-797-4000.
In addition to Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Michael Daugherty’s locomotive inspired “Night Owl,” John Corigliano’s “Gazebo Dances” and William Grant Still’s “Festive Overture” will be performed. Gorgeous high-resolution images will accompany both Copland's "Appalachian Spring" and Daugherty's "Night Owl." Audience members will experience the carefully curated and choreographed images projected on a large screen above the orchestra.
Notably, the concert will feature the mid-Atlantic premiere of “Night Owl.” In tribute to the history of Hagerstown and the surrounding region, “Night Owl” reflects upon the power and majesty of the steam locomotive both locally and nationally; inspired by black and white photos of steam engines taken by O. Winston Link from 1955 to 1960 of equipment and personnel from the Norfolk & Western Railway, later to become Norfolk Southern Railway. From the pulsing energy of “Shutterspeed,” which reflects upon the application of Link’s exacting photographic technique on his subjects, to the sweet, peacefully nostalgic visuals in “Solitude, Virginia,” to the closing “Thunder on Blue Ridge” with its full steam ahead propulsive drive, “Night Owl” has been described as nothing less than exciting and thoughtful.
The work of local photographer, Ira S. Lourie, and students from Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, Clear Spring High School, and Williamsport High School will be featured during the performance of “Appalachian Spring.” “Night Owl” will feature many of the aforementioned photos by O. Winston Link, provided courtesy of the O. Winston Link Museum located in Roanoke, Virginia.
For those patrons attending the Saturday October 13 performance, “Savor Hagerstown” is included, at no additional charge, with the concert ticket. “Savor Hagerstown” features sips and light bites from some of the region’s best restaurants and purveyors. Patrons will enjoy pre-show sips of local wine, beer, and kombucha, followed by post-show bites from over half a dozen local restaurants, including Arisu Korean Restaurant, 28 South, Rhubarb House, Pretzel and Pizza Creations, Bulls & Bears, and more! Plus, cupcakes from Charlie & Sam’s. Sips begin at 6:30 pm, and bites begin immediately after the concert. This is an inaugural event, with plans to expand in 2019 once the Maryland Theatre expansion project is complete, with opportunities for a much more expansive and luxurious patron experience.
“Visions of America” is presented through the generous support of Jim and Georgia Pierné. The “Savor Hagerstown” pre-and-post-concert food and drink experience on Saturday evening is presented by RBC Wealth Management with special thanks to Philip & Renata Beaudoin and the Visit Hagerstown & Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The 2018-19 MSO season is supported by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.
Tickets for the concert range from $19 to $79 for adults and children and full-time students (K-12) attend FREE. To purchase tickets, call 301-797-4000 or go online at www.marylandsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the MSO Box Office at 30 W. Washington Street, Hagerstown. The Maryland Theatre is located at 21 S. Potomac Street, Hagerstown.
What: MSO Season Opener: Visions of America
Where: The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740
When: Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 14, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $19 - $79. Tickets can be purchased online at www.marylandsymphony.org; in person at the Maryland Symphony Orchestra Administrative Offices located at 30 W Washington St, Hagerstown, MD 21740 (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday); or by calling the Box Office at 301-797-4000 during normal business hours. Group Rates are available for groups of ten or more.
GRAMMY® Award winning composer Michael Daugherty was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1954. He is the son of a dance-band drummer and the oldest of five brothers, all professional musicians. As a young man, Daugherty studied composition with many of the preeminent composers of the 20th century including Jacob Druckman, Earle Brown, Bernard Rands and Roger Reynolds at Yale, Pierre Boulez at IRCAM in Paris and György Ligeti in Hamburg. Daugherty was also an assistant to jazz arranger Gil Evans in New York from 1980-82. In 1991, Daugherty joined the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance as Professor of Composition, where he is a mentor to many of today’s most talented young composers. He is also a frequent guest of professional orchestras, festivals, universities and conservatories around the world.
Daugherty’s music has entered the orchestral, band and chamber music repertoire and makes him one, according to the LAO, of the ten most performed American composers of concert music today. Recordings of Daugherty’s music on Naxos, by the Nashville Symphony conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, have received six GRAMMY® Awards including “Best Classical Contemporary Composition” in 2011 for Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra and in 2017 for Tales of Hemingway for cello and orchestra. His music is published by Peermusic Classical/Faber Music, Boosey & Hawkes and Michael Daugherty Music. For more information on Michael Daugherty and his music, see www.michaeldaugherty.net and his publisher’s websites.
VENUE INFORMATION
Built in 1915, designed by renowned architect Thomas Lamb, the Maryland Theatre is the anchor to the Arts & Entertainment district in downtown Hagerstown. The Theatre provides comfortable seating for 1,300 at performances of country artists, comedians, children's shows, recitals, stage shows, and more. Since 1982, the Theatre has been the official home of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. The Maryland Theatre welcomes approximately 120,000 people through her doors annually. The Maryland Theatre is located at 21 S. Potomac Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
ABOUT MARYLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s 2018-19 season of BEGINNINGS features 17 concerts and music from over 40 composers and songwriters in performance at the historic Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown, MD, which will be open for MSO concerts and other events during its heralded expansion project.
Founded in 1982, Maryland Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 37th season as the area’s premier professional orchestra. Under the musical direction of Maestra Elizabeth Schulze, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to providing musical performances that educate and entertain, while enhancing the cultural environment of Western Maryland and the surrounding region. Learn more: www.marylandsymphony.org
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