Salisbury Symphony Orchestra Winter Concert, Feb. 9
SALISBURY, MD--- The Winter Concert of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University on Saturday, February 9 will invoke the lyrical beauty of Beethoven and the dramatic power of Brahms in a first-rate concert for classical music lovers.
Two major pieces by Beethoven and Brahms will form the entire program, with former Salisbury University faculty member Dr. Mark Clinton joining the orchestra as guest soloist on the Brahms piano concerto.
“The serious orchestral concertgoer and the lover of beautiful music will enjoy this concert and will appreciate what the 55 musicians can do with this music, and especially what our guest soloist Dr. Mark Clinton can do,” said Dr. Thomas G. Elliot, music director and conductor of the SSO.
Clinton will be featured on the Brahms’ Concerto No. 1 in d minor, Op. 15. It is a piece the pianist knows well, having played it with the Nebraska Symphony and in performances on the West Coast.
“It’s a wonderful piece of music, one not heard all the time because pianists have to ‘get it under their fingers,’ have it memorized and polished,” Elliot said. “We are glad to be able to have him play the piece here.”
Clinton is associate professor of piano and co-chair of the piano area at the School of Music of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He holds both the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Clinton has shared his musical insights with gifted students around the country while serving on the faculties of Salisbury University, the Aspen Institute, Missouri Southern State College and the Great Plains Music Camp.
This critically acclaimed pianist has garnered numerous prizes at such prestigious international competitions as the 1987 William Kapell International Piano Competition and the 1991 Joanna Hodges Piano Competition. He has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts, including National Public Radio's “Performance Today” and Monitor Radio.
The other half of the Winter Concert will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 – the “Pastoral.” In stark contrast to the composer’s powerful Symphony No. 5, published as Beethoven began No. 6, the “Pastoral” is lyrical and beautiful, evoking rustic delights and simple joys of country folk followed by the untamed fury of nature. In a life filled with peaks and valleys, Beethoven was clearly on a crest when he created what is not so much a painting in music, as a poem of tones.
Individual concert tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 and up and for children 18 and under. Gold Pass SSO patrons may use their passes for admission. Tickets for the 8 p.m. Winter Concert are available through Peninsula Bank and Bank of Delmarva branches during lobby hours or at the door the night of the concert. For tickets or more
information, please call 410-548-5587.