Skip to main content

You are here

Pianist to Perform Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with MSO April 9 & 10

Pianist Thomas Pandolfi will be the guest artist when the Maryland Symphony Orchestra presents its final Masterworks Concerts of the 2015-2016 Season on Saturday, April 9 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. at the historic Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown.

Pandolfi will perform George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The MSO, under the leadership of Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, will also perform Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 (From the New World), and Dreamtime Ancestors, a new work by American composer Christopher Theofanidis, which was commissioned by 48 regional orchestras (including the MSO) throughout the country.

Pandolfi is an exciting virtuoso who, with each passing season, is becoming more and more sought after by audiences worldwide, and showered with superlatives by critics for his passionate artistry and amazing technique.

During the 2015-2016 Season he will be the guest soloist with The National Philharmonic, Ohio Valley Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, North Charleston Pops, Alexandria Symphony, Wilson Symphony, and the Southwest Suburban Symphony in Milwaukee. His recent recital touring schedule will take him to California, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Oregon. Thomas’ international concerts have carried him across the globe to China and Europe.

Composers Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Vassar Kluge have composed The American Piano Concerto for Pandolfi. The premier performance will be presented on May 7, 2016. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a scholarship student.

All ticket holders are encouraged to attend Prelude which takes place one hour (7:00 p.m.) before each Masterworks Concert. MSO Music Director Elizabeth Schulze and the guest artists share information on featured composers and their works that will enhance concert-goers enjoyment and appreciation of the concert.

The concert is being sponsored by Springhill Suites and Courtyard Hotel. The Artist Sponsors are Barbara & Tom Henderson and Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Hood. Additional funding is being provided by the Herald Mail Media and Mercedes-Benz of Hagerstown.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.marylandsymphony.org, by phone at 301-797-4000, or in person at the MSO Office at 30 W. Washington Street. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For the sixth consecutive season, the MSO will be providing FREE Masterworks concert tickets to students in grades one through 12. This free student ticket initiative is generously underwritten by contributions from Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, Susquehanna Bank, The Rotary Club of Hagerstown, and The Rotary Club of Long Meadows Foundation. The Maryland Symphony Orchestra is also supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.