In a season featuring the expected and the unexpected, the Central Ohio Symphony will open its 44th season with a program combining modern Latinx works with the well-known Symphony No. 5 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Music Director Jaime Morales-Matos, celebrating his 20th year as conductor, and the orchestra musicians perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, in the Gray Chapel auditorium on the Ohio Wesleyan campus in Delaware.
The concert will spotlight three guest artists. Lisa Jelle, faculty at Capital University Conservatory of Music and principal flutist for the orchestra, will perform a jazz flute concerto by Latinx composer Mariano Morales. Kia-Hui Tan, violinist, and Mark Rudoff, cellist, will be the soloists in “Recuerdos (Memories)” by Latinx composer Sonia Ivette Morales-Matos. Rudoff and Tan are faculty at the School of Music of The Ohio State University. Both pieces are being presented as part of the Symphony’s ongoing “Play It Again” project.
“This concert will mix a popular symphony with two modern Latinx pieces,” said Symphony Executive Director Warren W. Hyer. “This season is focused on bringing expected and unexpected experiences to our audiences, and our debut concert is a perfect example of that.
“A unique thing about this concert is that we will have three of the six Morales siblings, all six of whom have significant careers in music, on stage at the same time.”
The Symphony’s goal is that persons attending feel comfortable at the concert. Masks are optional but encouraged for the audience. The musicians will be masked.
For this concert, there will be free shuttle service from the parking lots on South Henry Street at Selby Stadium to the rear lower door of Gray Chapel. The shuttle service, funded by a grant from SourcePoint, will begin one hour before the performance and end one hour after.
“This is a way for our audience, especially those with more mobility issues, to arrive safely and easily and avoid the construction areas near Gray Chapel,” said Hyer.
This concert also launches the Symphony’s partnership with the Delaware County District, Sunbury Community, and Ashley libraries. Any youth 17 and under can present their library card and get free admission to the concert, as well as a half-price ticket for an accompanying adult.
For more information about the concert, visit the Symphony website at www.centralohiosymphony.org or call the Symphony at 740-362-1799.
