Composers of Vienna to be highlighted by the Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra and special guests

Jan. 10—WILLMAR

— The auditorium of the Willmar Education and Arts Center will feel and sound like one of the great concert halls of Vienna Sunday, Jan. 14 as the

Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra

performs pieces from some of the greatest composers to call the Austrian capital city home.

Concert attendees will also be able to experience the playing of the Kim family, a family of musicians with connections to the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

The orchestra will highlight music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Joseph Haydn. The Vienesse Connoisseurs Concert will be at 3 p.m. Jan. 14 at the WEAC. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for children under 18, and can be purchased on the

orchestra website

willmarorchestra.com

or at the door.

The afternoon of classical music will begin with Mozart's "Ouverture zu Idomeneus," from the composer's opera "Idomeneo."

The opera is set in ancient Crete, following the Trojan War and follows the love story between a Trojan princess and a prince of Crete. Mozart wrote the opera in 1780, when he was only 24 years old, and it is considered his first full-scale opera. Mozart is known as a musical genius, having started composing as early as 5 years old. He composed more than 800 works of all types and genres until his death at the age of 35.

The second piece to be performed is "Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56," composed by Beethoven in 1803. It is the composer's only concerto that was written for more than one solo instrument.

Joining WASO in its performance of the Concerto will be Pitnarry Shin, Kyu-Young Kim and Orion Kim, a family of orchestra musicans from the Twin Cities.

Shin is a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra and is returning to Willmar for her fourth performance with WASO. Her husband, Kyu-Young Kim, is the artistic director and principal violinist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Their son, Orion Kim, is a high school senior who plays the piano. He is studying with Professor Claudia Chen of Macalester College.

The concert's final piece is Haydn's "Symphony No. 103," known as "Drum Roll." It was composed in 1793 and is known for its opening tympani drum roll. Haydn is known as the "Father of Symphony," having composed more than 106 symphonies between 1750 and 1802.

A reception will follow the concert.

WASO has been a fixture of the Willmar Area arts scene for 67 years. It was founded by 1957 by Dr. Lawrence and Margaret Opsahl. It is currently led by director Stephen Ramsey, and is made up of nearly 50 musicians from the community.

WASO performs several times each year, bringing a wide range of music genres from across history to the public — from classics written hundreds of years ago to modern movie scores.