The South Orange Symphony will perform a spring concert on Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. at the South Orange Middle School auditorium. It is free and open to the public.
The concert will feature piano soloist Craig Ketter playing Sergie Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist of the late 19th and early 20th century. This is widely considered to be his finest work.
“We are thrilled to share the stage with a soloist of Craig’s caliber. And it’s all the better that he was a past winner of our Young Artist Competition before going on to bigger stages,” said orchestra conductor Susan Haig.
Ketter received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music. He has performed as a soloist with many of the leading orchestras across North America, and is in demand as a musical collaborator with singers and chamber groups. He lives in Northern New Jersey.
The orchestra will perform three other works from the 19th century. GW Chadwick’s “Rip van Winkle Overture,” which is a lively portrayal of the turbulent Revolutionary War years while Rip slept for 20 years and the vastly changed world he encounters upon waking up.
“If you’re looking for energetic music that tells a story, this is it,” said Concertmaster Danielle Sinclair.
Louise Farranc’s “First Overture” is a short symphonic masterpiece that engages the full orchestra. She was one of the leading composers of the 19th century Romantic period as well as a highly regarded professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory – the only woman to hold that rank in the 19th century.
Lastly the Orchestra continues its sampler tour through the works of the remarkable Strauss family, of Venetian light music fame, with a rousing waltz by the “Waltz King” himself, Johann Strauss Jr.
The South Orange Symphony welcomes families with kids age 5 and up, and there is room at the back of the hall to move around and dance while enjoying the music. The concert will include a memorial tribute to Samuel Convissor, a beloved friend of the orchestra and supporter of music and arts in South Orange.
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