Donald Portnoy, conductor
Neil Casey, assistant conductor
The University of South Carolina's premier orchestra ensemble, led by acclaimed music director Donald Portnoy, receives accolades for its fine performances. World-renowned guest artists join the ensemble throughout the year to bring you a stirring seven-concert season with music by the most dynamic composers. Concerts take place at the Koger Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m.
Save with a season subscription (7 concerts) and enjoy the best seats in the house: $150 general public; $110 senior citizens, USC faculty and staff; $45 students. Single concert tickets are $30 general public; $25 senior citizens, USC faculty and staff; $8 students. Capitol Tickets: 803-251-2222 or Koger Box Office, corner of Greene and Park Streets (M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or online at capitoltickets.com.
Thurs., September 18, 2014
Russian Extravaganza!
Guest artist Zuill Bailey, cello
Zuill Bailey, among the most sought after cellists today, has been praised for his "virtuoso technique, strong, richly expressive tone and bold, individual manner of playing" (Gramophone Magazine).
Zuill Bailey, among the most sought after cellists today, has been praised for his
peerless technique and great passion. Bailey will play Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante
for cello and orchestra on the season opening Russian Extravaganza! concert. The three
movements are all expansive, with a wide variety of themes and speeds that demand
a cellist of exceptional technique and musicality. The USC Symphony Orchestra will
also play one of Tchaikovsky's most joyful compositions, Symphony No. 2, on the season's
opening concert.
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, op. 17 (Little Russian)
Prokofiev - Sinfonia Concertante, op. 125 - Zuill Bailey, cello
Tues., October 21, 2014
Americana: The Music of Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington
As American as apple pie, Maestro Portnoy and the USC Symphony offer a delightful
slice of Americana classics, bringing you the music of Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin
and Duke Ellington.
Bernstein - Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Gershwin - Cuban Overture
Ellington - Medley for Orchestra including "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Do Nothin' 'Til You
Hear From Me," "Sophisticated Lady," and "It Don't Mean A Thing , If It Ain't Got
That Swing."
Harlem
Tues., November 18, 2014
Rock with Rachmaninoff
Adam Golka, piano
Golka delivers "a performance...to draw you into a world of intimate beauties." Dallas
Morning News
"A wealth of color and dynamic range, integrating the solo role with organic sensitivity."
The Scotsman
In November, guest artist Adam Golka, is sure to deliver a stunning performance of
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, one of the most technically challenging
piano concertos in the standard classical repertoire. Golka is the winner of the 2008
Gilmore Young Artist Award and first-prize winner of the 2009 Max I. Allen Classical
Fellowship Award of the American Pianists Association. The Scotsman describes Golka
as having "a wealth of color and dynamic range, integrating the solo role with organic
sensitivity." The orchestra will also present Beethoven's cheerful Symphony No. 4
at the November concert.
Beethoven - Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, op. 60
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, op. 30 - Adam Golka, piano
Thurs., January 22, 2015
A Tribute to Sidney Palmer
Charles Fugo, piano; Sandlapper Singers
The new year begins with an evening devoted to the music of American pianist, conductor and composer Sidney Palmer. The concert features a number of his beloved works, including Petite Concerto Classique for piano and orchestra featuring pianist Charles Fugo and choral work Two Psalms and Alleluia with the Sandlapper Singers. Dr. Fugo has played collaborative recitals at New York City's Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, performed throughout the Southeast and has appeared on statewide programs on South Carolina Educational Radio and Television as both soloist and chamber musician. Neil Casey conducts.
Tues., February 24, 2015
A Cole Porter Celebration!
Tina Milhorn Stallard, soprano; Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano; Walter Cuttino, tenor; Jacob Will, baritone; Dreher High School Chorus
The season also includes a tribute to Cole Porter to brighten a cold February. Four soloists and chorus will celebrate some of Cole Porter's greatest hits including "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "All Through the Night," "I Love Paris," "Begin the Beguine," "So in Love," and "Night and Day."
Thurs., March 26, 2015
A Prodigy Returns
Zeyu Victor Li, violin
"Thrilling, bright, incredibly precise, energetic and athletic. Zeyu's technique, precision and musical delivery were astonishing." Free Times 2013
Zeyu Victor Li, returns to the Koger stage to play Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.
2 at the March concert. Back by popular demand, the 18-year-old Chinese violin virtuoso
has been praised for his technical mastery and exuberance. The Concerto No. 2 is more
conventional than the composer's early bold compositions and begins with a melody
related to traditional Russian folk music. About the work, Prokofiev wrote, "The number
of places in which I wrote the Concerto shows the kind of nomadic concert-tour life
I led then. The main theme of the 1st movement was written in Paris, the first theme
of the 2nd movement at Voronezh, the orchestration was finished in Baku and the premiere
was given in Madrid.
Prokofiev - Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 63 - Zeyu Victor Li, violin
Winners of the 2014-2015 USC Concerto-Aria Competition will also perform on this concert
(winners and repertoire TBA).
Tues., April 21, 2015
Berlioz Requiem
Christian Sebek, tenor
Christian Sebek, currently performing on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera, is recognized for his powerful and lyric spinto. The New York Times praised Sebek as "possessing a marvelous voice," and the Houston Chronicle extolled his singing as "full of visceral excitement." With the USC Concert Choir, University Chorus and the Coker College Singers.