Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Civic Symphony of Green Bay announces 30th anniversary season

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The Civic Symphony of Green Bay has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season — the orchestra’s 30th season of performances and 20th year under the direction of Conductor and Artistic Director Seong-Kyung Graham.

Founded in 1995, the Civic Symphony of Green Bay is a community of musicians committed to sustaining the wonder and beauty of symphonic music through live performances and artistic collaborations.

Volunteer musicians of all ages, experience and walks of life play in the Civic Symphony of Green Bay.

The 2024-25 season will kick off with Food and Music from Around the World, held at Preble High School in Green Bay on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The event will celebrate global culture with a fusion of music and cuisine as students from the culinary arts program at Preble will prepare dishes to pair with the orchestra’s musical selections.

Celebrity chef Ace Champion will guide the student chefs and also perform with the orchestra. Dinner consists of exotic dishes from Spain, Asia, the Caribbean and New Orleans, along with a trio of desserts.

Musical selections for the evening will include “Festive Overture” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong” arranged by Ted Ricketts, “Arirang Fantasy” by Kyu-Tae Kim and more.

The second concert, scheduled for Oct. 26, is titled Milestones and brings together the Civic Symphony of Green Bay and the Dudley Birder Chorale as both groups are celebrating big milestones this year — the orchestra’s 30th anniversary and the chorale’s 50th anniversary.

The ensembles will also welcome students from Green Bay Preble High School Choirs, the St. Norbert Youth Choirs and the Appleton Boy Choir.

The concert will focus on the epic masterwork Carmina Burana — Carl Orff’s ode to love, drink and living life to the fullest — and feature baritone soloist Kent Paulsen and soprano soloist Yi-Lan Niu.

The orchestra’s third concert of the season will be the annual family concert held on Feb. 14.

This year’s family concert will showcase the world premiere of King Arthur: Lion in the Wilderness, a multi-movement narrated children’s piece by St. Norbert College professor John Hennecken.

The piece tells the story of the rise of the young king who will eventually establish Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table.

The fourth and final concert of the season will take place on Saturday, May 31, and focus on symphonic soundtracks from blockbuster video games.

The concert will feature music from The Legend of Zelda, Medal of Honor, Undertale, Super Mario and the Final Fantasy series.

Tickets are on sale now for this season’s lineup with special pricing for seniors and students.

Season packages are available.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit gbcivic.org/events.

The Civic Symphony of Green Bay, Orchestra, Artistic Director Seong-Kyung Graham, Symphonic music, live performance