Venice Symphony marks 50th anniversary with big works and stars

Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·4 min read

The Venice Symphony has grown up a lot in its first 50 years, and music director Troy Quinn says audiences are going to see and hear how much during a season that marks the half-century mark.

“My thinking was the same from concert to concert, to try to pick some big and bold new works we haven’t performed before,” Quinn said a few weeks before the season opens Nov. 17-18 with “A Symphony Fantastic,” which he said will prove how much the orchestra has matured. It features Hector Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique.”

“This is Berlioz’s most famous piece and we’ve never performed it before. It kind of got away from us,” he said. “It’s massive forces of orchestra and orchestration.”

Troy Quinn is the music director of The Venice Symphony.
Troy Quinn is the music director of The Venice Symphony.

It is also one of several pieces Quinn said the orchestra would not have been able to perform 10 or 20 years ago. “That was not attainable for us in the past. It’s a lot of finesse and virtuosic for some instruments. In terms of the classical repertoire, we’re starting off with a bang.”

He said the orchestra has “come a long way” since its beginnings in the early 1970s. “They were performing a lot in a church and were limited by space and personnel. This season just shows the growth and the maturity and also the audience tastes that we’ve developed over the last six or seven years since I’ve been here."

Quinn is beginning his sixth season with The Venice Symphony and audiences have been responding with increased ticket sales. Many concerts, like the December holiday program, are sold out months in advance and seating is already limited for others.

All concerts are at the Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice. For tickets and more information call 941-207-8822 or go to thevenicesymphony.org.

Here’s a look at what audiences can expect this season.

Andrew Bain, principal horn for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will be a guest soloist with The Venice Symphony.
Andrew Bain, principal horn for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will be a guest soloist with The Venice Symphony.

‘A Symphony Fantastic!’

7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18

The orchestra opens its 50th season with Hector Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique.” Andrew Bain, principal horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2011, is the featured soloist on Eric Ewazen’s contemporary Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra.

‘A Holiday Spectacular’

7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16

This year’s holiday program will be solely an instrumental concert. (Key Chorale, which has performed in past holiday concerts, will join the symphony later in the season.) Quinn said in addition to traditional standards, including excerpts from “The Nutcracker Suite,” the ensemble will perform a new suite of melodies from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” pieces by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and “Setting the Trap” from “Home Alone.”

Singer Lauren Jelencovich is a guest soloist with The Venice Symphony.
Singer Lauren Jelencovich is a guest soloist with The Venice Symphony.

‘Tall Tales and Treasures’

7:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13

Guest vocalist Lauren Jelencovich, who has toured with Yanni, joins the symphony for this concert that features music from a variety of adventure movies, from “Captain Blood” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” to “Mulan,” ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings” and “The Little Mermaid.”

Michael Feinstein will celebrate the music of Hollywood in a concert with The Venice Symphony.
Michael Feinstein will celebrate the music of Hollywood in a concert with The Venice Symphony.

‘Hooray for Hollywood with Michael Feinstein’

7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10

Award-winning musician, singer, musical archivist and preservationist Michael Feinstein joins the orchestra for a special event program of hits from Hollywood movies, including “New York, New York,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” “He’s one of the greatest interpreters of American standards and we’ll be doing some pieces that haven’t been performed live before,” Quinn said.

‘Disney’s Maestro: A Tribute to Alan Menken’

7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25

In addition to creating theater hits like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Newsies,” Alan Menken, working with his first partner Howard Ashman, transformed animated movie musicals with “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.” The orchestra will celebrate Menken’s extensive, award-winning career, along with Key Chorale. Quinn said, “This is really a family-friendly concert and also a chance to hear great orchestrations.”

‘Arabian Nights’

7:30 p.m. March 15, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 16

It has been years since Venice Symphony has performed Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherezade,” which Quinn describes as one of the cornerstone pieces for the organization this season because of its instrumental challenges. It is part of a program that includes some classic movie themes, including Maurice Jarre’s overture from “Lawrence of Arabia,” Ernest Gold’s theme from “Exodus” and works by Modest Mussorgsky and Camille Saint-Saens.

‘The Crown Jewel Finale’

7:30 p.m. April 26, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 27

The orchestra is once again joined by Key Chorale, along with vocalists Deanna Breiwick and Dashon Burton, to close the 50th season. “It’s a conglomeration of a massive choral work and everything to do with crown jewels in English music.” The program includes music from the hit TV series “The Crown,” William Walton’s “Crown Imperial,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “English Folk Song Suite” and “Dona nobis pacem.”

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Michael Feinstein joins Venice Symphony to mark 50th anniversary