Season of music Johnstown Symphony Orchestra's theme reflects 'Our Future'

Sep. 24—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — For its 2023-24 season, the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra is headed to the future.

"Our Future," the theme of the symphony's 95th season, will showcase music that will focus not only on the symphony's future, but also the future of Johnstown.

"This is a momentous year for the symphony, and we have a lot to celebrate," said James Blachly, the symphony's music director.

"We are all about the future of this city and region, and being a part of the vibrant future that we all have ahead of us and promoting innovation and celebrating what's to come," he said.

"The theme is to highlight that and to illustrate great beginnings in music and exciting developments and music that paved the way for amazing creativity to come."

'Opening Night'

The season will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 with "Opening Night: The Firebird" at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center on the University of Pittsburgh at Johns-town campus in Richland Township.

Acclaimed pianist and improviser Peter Dugan will join the orchestra for Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

The concert will feature Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," and audiences will discover how Igor Stravinsky changed the trajectory of modern ballet and orchestral music with "The Firebird." "Flight," a piece by Cedric Adderley, will also be featured, and it represents the future of the symphony taking flight.

" 'The Firebird' is the piece that made the world aware of Stravinsky's incredible musical genius, and it's an extraordinary score, so it's the perfect piece to start the season because it has a freshness to it and creativity," Blachly said. " 'Rhapsody in Blue' is one of the most-beloved pieces by an American composer, and it weaves together jazz and the orchestra in one of the most compelling ways possible. 'The Marriage of Figaro' is a piece that's full of energy and celebration."

Candlelight concert

At 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18, a candlelight concert will be held at The Grand Halle on Broad Street, 306 Broad St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

Surrounded by candlelight, the orchestra will present Jessie Montgomery's "Source Code," Alfred Schnittke's "Moz-Art à la Haydn" and Mozart's "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor."

"It's going to be extraordinarily beautiful, and the pieces in the program have been chosen to fit the beauty and magical ambience of The Grand Halle, which will be lit by hundreds of candles," Blachly said.

Handel's 'Messiah'

Ring in the holidays with Handel's "Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the PPAC.

The concert will feature four world-renowned vocalists and the Johnstown Symphony Chorus.

" 'Messiah' is the most established, celebrated masterpiece in Western music and has been selling out concert halls since its premiere in 1741," Blachly said. "There is something uniquely brilliant about this piece of music that keeps us coming back and discovering new things every time we perform it."

King celebration

At 3 p.m. Jan. 14, "A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." will be held in Cochran Auditorium at Greater Johnstown High School, 222 Central Ave., Johnstown.

Award-winning pianist Henry Wong Doe will join the symphony in its ongoing partnership with the NAACP Johnstown Branch. The concert will feature works of American composers Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Margaret Bonds.

"This is an important concert for us as a symphony that's been developing over the years," Blachly said. "The piece by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson is rarely performed, but is absolutely amazing for piano, strings and percussion. We'll also be collaborating with the Rev. Brandon King and his ensemble from Christ Centered Community Church, so this will be a wonderful concert to bring the community together to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King."

'Classics' at PPAC

At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, "Classics With Curtis Stewart" will be presented at the PPAC.

Three-time Grammy-nominated violinist Curtis Stewart will make his JSO debut performing Julia Perry's violin concerto. The concert will also feature an early choral work from Perry, "Ye Who Seek the Truth," and in the second half, Brahms' future-looking "Symphony No. 4 in E Minor."

"This is a concert I'm especially excited about because it brings one of my favorite soloists to Johnstown to perform the Pennsylvania premiere of Julia Perry's violin concerto," Blachly said.

"It's a concerto that I think is a true American masterpiece and one that we are helping to discover, celebrate and bring to concert halls.

Brahms' fourth symphony in my mind is the culminating achievement of the orchestral form, and it pulls together the tradition of the symphonic form while paving the way for the future."

The Grand Halle matinee

At 3 p.m. March 9, a family matinee will be presented at The Grand Halle on Broad Street.

It will feature Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks Concerto."

"The main feature of this is taking something old and making it new," Blachly said. "It'll be magical for kids to hear the transformation of one musical style into another that is full of color and brilliance. It will be a wonderful way for kids to get to know the magic of the orchestra."

Symphonic grandness

At 7:30 p.m. April 27, "PPAC Finale: The Planets and Star War" will be presented at the PPAC.

Audiences will be able to experience John Williams' music of "Star Wars" in its epic, symphonic grandness. There will also be a journey through the solar system with a visual narrative of images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope as the symphony performs Gustav Holst's "The Planets." Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Toward the Unknown Region" will also be performed and feature the Johnstown Symphony Chorus.

" 'The Planets' is one of the most massive, extraordinary statements for the orchestra, and it takes us to outer space," Blachy said. "The music of 'Star Wars' and 'The Planets' will be an amazing way to cap off the season at the PPAC."

The season will conclude at 7:30 p.m. May 18 with the "Season Finale: The Music of The Police" at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial, 326 Napoleon St., downtown Johnstown.

The performance will feature symphony-rock masters Jeans 'n Classics, performing hits by Sting and The Police, including "Every Breath She Takes," "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle."

"This is a realization of a dream for eight years for me to have the symphony perform a subscription concert at the War Memorial," Blachly said. "A lot of us love this music, and it'll be so fun to perform there with the symphony and a great rock band. It'll be great to have a crowd at the War Memorial and for us to end the season with something innovative and new."

For more information or to order tickets, call 814-535-6738 or visit www.johnstownsymphony.org.