Aubree Oliverson
On Friday, November 11, 2016, at 8:00 p.m., violin phenomenon Aubree Oliverson again joins Pasadena Community Orchestra, this time in Wieniawski’s fiery Violin Concerto No. 2. Under Music Director Bethany Pflueger, the orchestra performs three more works bursting with joy and exuberance: Prokofiev’s jaunty Lieutenant Kijé Suite, the flashy Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla by Glinka, and Mozart’s great Overture to Cosi Fan Tutte.
Aubree Oliverson swept the PCO audience away in May 2015 with her impassioned performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. She’s back, with another epic romantic favorite: Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2. Although she’s only eighteen years old (in her first year at the world-class Colburn Conservatory of Music), Oliverson’s career has skyrocketed since her Young Artist appearance with PCO. This past summer, she was one of 20 graduating high school students nation-wide (and one of only two musicians) to receive the prestigious “United States Presidential Scholar for the Arts” award, performing at the Kennedy Center. Oliverson also performed – to packed houses and often standing ovations – at the famed Aspen and Innsbrook Music Festivals. In addition, she made her fifth appearance on National Public Radio’s From the Top. And in September, she earned first prize in the 2016 Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition – she will perform with the Burbank Philharmonic this season.
The popular Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla, by the “father of Russian music,” Mikhail Glinka, is full of unadulterated nationalistic pride. Filled with wild energy, the Overture’s irresistible melodies display a uniquely Russian combination of earthy exuberance and heroic feeling.
One of Prokofiev’s most popular works (along with Peter and the Wolf and the Classical Symphony), the Lieutenant Kijé Suite showcases the composer’s great wit, melodic gifts, and programmatic skills. Audience members will feel the sleigh moving in the lively Troika, and they’ll recognize the wry humor in the crisp marches, lush romance and wedding music, and the mournful Kijé “theme” and funeral music.
Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte is one of the greatest comic operas of all time. The title is usually translated as “Women are like that,” and the opera deals (often hilariously) with the vicissitudes of the male/female relationship. Like the opera, the Overture is light-hearted and ebullient, with bright, sparkling sounds and melodies that exude good humor and exuberance.
PCO has been bringing fine classical music to the community for 33 years. Admission is free (donations are welcome at the door), and no reservations are needed. Well-trained musicians provide a high-quality musical experience. First Church of the Nazarene is located at 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., one block west of Michillinda Ave. Parking is free and wheelchair accessible. Immediately following the concert, audience members will have the opportunity to meet the Music Director, soloist and other musicians at a reception.
For further information, please contact PCO at (626) 445-6708 or [email protected]. Find us online at http://www.pcomusic.org. Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pasadena-Community-Orchestra/125809577468516 and https://twitter.com/PCOrchestra.
Concerts are made possible in part by the Michael J. Connell Foundation, the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission, the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, Pasadena Community Foundation, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts and LA County Arts Commission.
