With exuberance and joy, the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra shares our belief that live music brings all people together.
MassBay Community College and the Wellesley Symphony are proud to present a benefit concert to raise funds for both organizations on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 6:00 pm, at MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland Street, Wellesley. The Wellesley Symphony is a non-profit organization and has been a community orchestra since its founding in 1948. This past season we celebrated our 75th anniversary, and our 40th season as orchestra-in-residence at MassBay!
This concert, "Colors of Culture", features music from around the world and special guests, the Fireside Barbershop Quartet. After a rousing Viennese waltz by Johann Strauss, the orchestra will perform Florence Price's final composition (arranged by William Grant Still for full orchestra), Dances in the Canebrakes.
Gabriela Ortiz' composition Kauyumari evokes the Mexican folktale about a magical deer. The music is literally throbbing with emotion! This piece will be followed by the return of our featured vocalists - the Fireside Barbershop Quartet.
After intermission, a change of pace as we perform the second movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony - this movement was such a hit at the premiere performance in 1813 that the audience demanded it be repeated.
A quick trip to Spain follows our sojourn in Beethoven's Vienna as we dance to Manuel de Falla's "Spanish Dance" from La Vida Breve, one of de Falla's operas.
Following 2 more beautiful songs from the Fireside Barbershop Quartet, including the lovely "Somewhere" from Bernstein's West Side Story, we will return to Spain to end our performance, via a French composer, Georges Bizet, with some beautiful excerpts from his most famous opera, Carmen.
We hope that this trip around the world of music and beauty will bring you joy. As our music director, Mark Latham, has said at every concert, to be present at a live music performance is a unique and wonderful experience. The excellent musicians of the WSO, 95% of whom are volunteers, love to learn about the music and to perform it for you.
We are passionate about our mission:
With exuberance and joy, the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra shares our belief that live music brings all people together.
This concert embodies that mission. We look forward to seeing you at the concert and at the reception following the performance.
Tickets are $100. There will be a reception following the concert. Parking is plentiful and free.