Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra to perform Sept. 9-10 in Farragut, Oak Ridge

The Oak Ridger
·4 min read

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s new Music Director Régulo Stabilito will lead the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra in “A Musical Exploration of Cultures” on Sept. 9-10.

The first concert, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 110 Sugarwood Drive in Farragut.  The concert will be repeated at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, at Oak Ridge Associated Universities' Pollard Auditorium as part of ORCMA’s Symphony & Chorus Subscription Series and the Combined Subscription Series. Ticket prices are: adult $30; young adult (ages 19-29) $10; and youths ages 18 and younger, free.  All tickets are available online at https://orcma.org/concerts-and-tickets, by phone at (865) 483-5569, by email at office@orcma.org, or at the door.

Régulo Stabilito
Régulo Stabilito

“The entire orchestra season engages community partners and addresses social challenges we face in today’s world,” Stabilito said in an ORCMA news release. It is a true reflection of ORCMA’s new tag line: Innovative and Inclusive Classical Music. “'A Musical Exploration of Cultures'” will immerse you in the topics of American Black music, indigenous heritage, hate crimes, and Latino immigration.”

Inspired by the 2023 “Roots of America” Lecture Series hosted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL) in partnership with the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, the concerts will be performed by a small sinfonietta of the orchestra’s principal musicians, and includes:

Gonzalo Castellanos-Yumar
Gonzalo Castellanos-Yumar

  • "Divertimento for 11 Instruments" by Venezuelan composer Gonzalo Castellanos-Yumar;

  • "Elegy: a cry from the grave" by Grammy-nominated African American composer Carlos Simon;

  • "Sinfonietta" by Szymon Laks, a Holocaust survivor who was the head of the prisoner's orchestra at Birkenau-Auschwitz;

  • "Appalachian Spring Suite for 13 Instruments" by the iconic American composer Aaron Copland; and

  • "Incident at Wounded Knee" by the father of Native American composition, Louis Ballard.

“We are grateful for the leadership and staff at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Farragut, and for the leadership and staff at Pollard Auditorium for partnering with us to present the concerts. Come to both!” said Stabilito.

“Part of Régulo’s vision is to present more orchestra concerts and in a wider geographic area,” wrote ORCMA's Executive Director Lisa Muci Eckhoff in the release. "Farragut was the first place to come to mind, and we are indebted to Tom Rosseel and Mike Young from ORCMA’s board of directors who have been instrumental in bringing the Farragut concert to fruition. We offer great thanks to them.”

Carlos Simon
Carlos Simon

Special dinner following Oak Ridge concert

A special dinner celebrating the start of ORMCA’s 79th season and Stabilito’s first subscription concert as music director will be held following the Oak Ridge concert on Sept. 10 at Pollard Auditorium. The cost is $50, with proceeds supporting ORCMA’s orchestra, chorus, chamber music, and education programming. Reservations are required by Monday, Sept. 4. RSVP to office@orcma.org or (865) 483-5569.

“Dinner seating is limited, so make your reservation soon!  The menu includes hors d’oeuvres, entrees of white wine chicken and sweet-and-sour meatballs, wine, desserts, and a specialty drink for the occasion,” said Executive Director Lisa Muci Eckhoff. “And, of course, there will be a special surprise.”

More information on the concerts and the dinner may be found on ORCMA’s website https://orcma.org.

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is a 501(c)(3) presenting organization dedicated to enriching lives throughout the community and supporting local musicians and composers through the performance of a diverse and inclusive range of orchestral, choral, and chamber music in its many forms.  This project is supported in part by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  The Association is also funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission and proceeds from the sale of TN Specialty Plates.  ORCMA thanks corporate sponsors Oak Ridge National Laboratory-UT-Battelle; Spectra Tech, Inc.; Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oak Ridge; Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club; Boston Government Services; First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge; St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church; The Performing Arts Center at Oak Ridge High School; ORAU / Pollard Auditorium; Episcopal Church of the Ascension; and Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in addition to its numerous individual donors for their support.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra to perform in Farragut, Oak Ridge