A new offering, the Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra, will also launch during the season.
Coming off a very successful 75th anniversary season, there was a challenge with what to do next. While he usually doesn’t do themed seasons, Symphony music director Peter Stafford Wilson made an exception this year. During conversations with Symphony education and outreach manager Nomi Marcus, he was reminded of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, allowing women the right to vote.
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“It just resonated more and more the amazing contribution women have made to this art form and we decided to highlight women artists, composers and members of the symphony,” said Wilson, who has been with the Symphony for 18 years.
“The Uncommon Women” will open the season with an all-American program featuring works by three female composers with a guest violinist Jennifer Koh, who Wilson said is one of the reigning violinists working today.
“A Tribute to the Queen of Soul” on Nov. 9 will celebrate the musical legacy of the late Aretha Franklin, joined by the Community Chorus, which performed at the Symphony’s gospel concert last season. Wilson said this is one of if not the first such symphonic tribute to Franklin.
The new year will bring guests pianist Cecile Licad and violinist Sujean Kim for “Mozart Serenade” on Jan. 18. Licad helped select the Steinway Grand Piano that resides on the Kuss Auditorim stage.
A previous guest violinist, Lindsay Deutsch, will return with a new pop crossover group, Take3 to perform at the Feb. 22 concert. The group recently supported Yanni on a world tour and will take a classical music background and mix with rock charisma for a symphonic take on pop hits.
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Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” will be overseen by guest conductor and violinist Monica Huggett for this iconic work of baroque music on April 25. Wilson said Huggett is the barometer of quality for a string section and it will be a fun concert.
The season will conclude May 16 with “Carmina Burana” with guest soprano Jennifer Jill Araya, tenor Dan Stein and baritone Michael Roemer, and Cleveland composer Margaret Brouwer will join with her composition “Rhapsody for Orchestra.”
“This is such a huge audience pleaser, it’s a good time to bring it back,” Wilson said. “Margaret is excited to be paired with ‘Carmina’.
The success of the 75th season allowed the Symphony to operate with its biggest surplus in years. Executive director Lou Ross said it’s an amazing accomplishment considering places such as the Metropolitan Opera and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York saw deficits recently.
Ross and Wilson pointed out that every aspect of that season involved the community, which responded and it allows the Symphony not to rest on those laurels but move forward.
During the season, people will be treated to a new musical outlet: The Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra, which will play two shows under the direction of Todd Stoll, a Springfield native who received much of his musical education in the area.
Stoll and Wilson got together about 18 months ago to plot things out. Stoll works for the Jazz at Lincoln Center education program in New York and wanted to give back to the area for his musical success.
“I’ve always been amazed at the longevity of the symphony and wanted to see where we could go in a different genre,” said Stoll, a 1981 North High graduate. “With jazz you have the opportunity to reach a different segment of the community to plan together.”
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Recognizing the Symphony appeals to a certain audience, Wilson was receptive.
The first concert, “Big Band Royalty: The Count Meets the Duke” will be Nov. 2. The second will be “Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song” on May 23. Both will be at the John Legend Theater.
There will also be youth concerts as well as popular fundraisers including the Holiday Home Tour in December and the themed Grapes and Escapes dinner event in February.
Wilson is even looking ahead to season 77.
“We’re very proud of this and excited for what’s coming next,” he said.
Tickets are available for the season and individual concerts. For more information, go to www.springfieldsym.org/.
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