Hippo Press - Classical Celebration
Symphony NH holiday shows, and conductor news
By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Symphony New Hampshire. The venerable orchestra will be represented in a variety of forms at five upcoming area events. After that, the work of finding a new leader continues.
A brass quintet will perform two holiday concerts, in Manchester and Concord, and the Symphony’s string quartet is at Canterbury Shaker Village’s holiday festivities. Nine Symphony New Hampshire musicians will join Mannheim Steamroller at their Concord show and, finally, there’s a full orchestra Holiday Pops concert in Nashua on Dec. 13.
With the new year, the search for a new musical director again heats up, as five candidates vie to succeed Roger Kalia. The first, Tiffany Chang, launched the season with a program called “Unexpected Stories.” It included a symphony by Jean Sibelius that was a favorite of Chang’s.
Symphony NH Executive Director Deanna Hoying recalled that she urged Chang to do the Sibelius piece.
“She had something else in mind, but when I said, ‘Show us who you are through your programming,’ she was like, ‘Oh, this might give me an opportunity,” Hoying said by phone recently. “It was a wonderful [one] for her too — not only to learn, but get in front of an orchestra and do this piece that she’s always wanted to do.”
Each of the remaining four candidates will take the stage at Keefe Auditorium in Nashua to support their bids to lead the orchestra, beginning with Filippo Ciabatti. On Jan. 17 he’ll conduct the orchestra in a program called “From Fire to the Stars.” It includes works by Jessie Montgomery, Manuel de Falla and Mozart. Each musical director candidate will participate in a pre-concert talk one hour before their concerts.
Hoying said the season has been challenging. A Halloween concert was canceled due to poor ticket sales, and adjustments are ongoing: “It’s tight; I’m not terribly surprised. I’m hearing that from a lot of organizations, both here and around the country. As the economy is shifting, people are more thoughtful about how [they] spend that discretionary income.”
Christmastime, though, seems to be bringing a welcome respite.
“People are very nostalgic for classic holiday music, and I think people spend their entertainment money differently now than during the rest of the year,” Hoying said. “I am encouraged to see some good [and] pretty stable numbers right now, for really all of the shows, and that makes me happy.”
Hearing “Sleigh Bells,” “Silent Night” and “Winter Wonderland” performed by a classical brass group or a violin quartet is a great recruiting tool, Hoying continued. The same is true of an inspirational Pops Christmas concert.
“People may not come to see you doing Beethoven, but they will come and see holiday things,” she said. “That’s a wonderful entry point.”
Symphony NH Holiday Appearances
Jingle Brass - ManchesterWhen: Thursday, December 4, 7:30p.m. |
Christmas at CanterburyWhen: Saturday, Dec. 6, 4 p.m. |
Jingle Brass - ConcordWhen: Saturday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m. |
Holiday PopsWhen: Saturday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. |
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (joined by Symphony NH musicians)When: Friday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. |
