Season subscriptions
Save with a season subscription (6 concerts) and enjoy the best seats in the house:
$150 general public
Discounts: $110 senior citizens, USC faculty and staff; $45 students.
Concert tickets
Single concert tickets are $30 general public
Discounts: $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 purchase tickets online.
Concerts take place at the Koger Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m.
Tues., September 15, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Paremski Plays Tchaikovsky
Guest Artist Natasha Paremski, piano
The opening concert of the season includes Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, one
of the most popular of Tchaikovsky's compositions and among the best known of all
piano concertos. Guest artist Natasha Paremski has been called “empress of the keyboard”
by the Kalamazoo Gazette. San Francisco Classical Voice declared, “Technique to burn, magic hands, solid rhythmic control, sensitive pedaling,
mature stage presence, a real feeling for lush romantic music, the ability to handle
blazingly rapid passagework, beautifully executed trills, and all made to look very
easy.” Also on the program is Jean Sibelius’ bold and unconventional Symphony No.
2 in D Major.
Program:
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) - Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 43
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, op. 23
Natasha Paremski, piano
Tues., October 20, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
John Williams Extravaganza!
Guest Artist Michael Ludwig, violin
The entire family will enjoy the Signature Editions of composer John Williams’ most
beloved film score classics, including music from Star Wars, Hook, E.T., Harry Potter, Schindler’s List, Superman, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones
and the Lost Ark, Fiddler on the Roof and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Composer Williams (b. 1932) has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards,
seven British Academy Film Awards and 22 Grammy Awards. With 49 Academy Award nominations,
Williams is the second most-nominated individual after Walt Disney and has been recognized
for his contribution to film and television music.
Hailed by Strad Magazine for his “effortless, envy-provoking technique… sweet tone, brilliant expression, and grand style,” guest artist Michael Ludwig enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, recording artist, and chamber musician. A highly sought-after soloist, he has performed on four continents and has recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, among others. Acclaimed musician Van Cliburn said, “A musician of profound artistry and consummate integrity, Michael Ludwig possesses a gorgeous sound which he projects with heartfelt passion and intensity.”
Tues., November 17, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Viva España!
Guest Artists Beijing Guitar Duo
Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano
The music of three Spanish composers transports you to Spain for an evening. Joaquín
Turina’s La oración del torero (Prayer of the Bullfighter) draws on the rich heritage of the Spanish guitar with
roots in the folk tradition. Metropolitan opera veteran Janet Hopkins sings Manuel
de Falla’s El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), distinctively Andalusian in character.
Composed of guitarist Meng Su and Yameng Wang, the Beijing Guitar Duo has performed
throughout Europe, Asia and North America, racking up accolades along the way. The San Francisco Examiner described the duo as “Particularly skillful in fingering of rapid passage. . .uncanny
synchronization.” The South Florida Classical Review wrote, “They capitalize on the rich palette of sounds the two-guitar medium is capable
of, approaching the music with deeply felt expression.” The duo plays Joaquín Rodrigo’s
Concierto madrigal, based on the anonymous Renaissance madrigal Felices ojos mios (Happy Eyes of Mine).
Program:
Joaquín Turina (1882-1949) - La oración del torero (Prayer of the Bullfighter)
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) - El amor brujo (Love, the Magician): Ballet suite - Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) - Concierto madrigal - Beijing Guitar Duo (Ming Su and Yameng Wang)
Tues., February 23, 2016
All-Beethoven Concert
Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman, violin
Vadim Gluzman’s performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and
a striking catalog of award-winning recordings. He plays the extraordinary 1690 ‘ex-Leopold
Auer’ Stradivari, on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari
Society of Chicago. The Israeli violinist appears regularly with major orchestras
such as the Chicago Symphony, London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony,
among others. The New Orleans Times glowed, “Better than Itzhak Perlman, better than Midori, better than Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
and all the other big-name string titans who have soloed with the LPO in recent years.”
MusicalCriticism.com wrote, "Violinist Vadim Gluzman plays the violin as if it was the easiest thing on
the earth to do. He produces a beautiful cantilena violin tone...delivers strong rhythms
and virtuosity as natural component...fully observes the musical score and invests
it with nuances which cannot be notated but which reach the spirit of the musical
content."
Barbecue and Brew
No need to catch dinner before the concert. Join us for a delicious barbecue and brew
meal before the concert, serving beginning 5:30 p.m. in the large rehearsal room at
the Koger (first floor across from elevators). On the menu: Choice of pulled pork
sliders or barbecue chicken sliders, potato salad, coleslaw, dessert and beverage
(beer, iced tea, lemonade, or water). Tickets are $15 per person and must be purchased
in advance by Feb. 17 at the Koger Box Office, by calling 803-251-2222, or online
at kogercenterforthearts.com. Limited to 275 guests.
Program:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Overture to Prometheus
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, op. 92,
Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 61, Vadim Gluzman, violin
Tues., March 22, 2016
Poems And Songs
Guest artist Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano
The Washington Post called 16-year veteran of the New York Metropolitan Opera, Janet Hopkins, “angel-voiced.”
Hopkins continues to thrill audiences on symphonic stages across America, and she
will sing Vaughan Williams’ Four Last Songs and Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder. Mahler brings Friedrich Rückert’s poems to life with his luxuriant melodic setting.
Rückert wrote beautiful examples of German lyric romantic poems that Mahler collected
for this set of songs. The texts of Four Last Songs are poems written by Vaughan Williams' wife Ursula who penned several books of poetry
throughout her lifetime as well as a biography of her late husband. "Procris" and
"Menelaus" deal with figures from ancient Greek and Roman mythology and epic poetry
while "Tired" and "Hands, Eyes, and Heart" depict images of love between a husband
and wife. This concert also includes the student winners of the USC Concerto–Aria
Competition.
Program:
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) - Rückert-Lieder
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) - Four Last Songs, Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano
and
2015–2016 USC Concerto–Aria Competition Winners:
Liangjun Zou, violin
Sibelius, Violin Concerto (mvmt. III)
and
Jake Mann, clarinet
Debussy, Premiere Rhapsody
Mon., April 18, 2016
Segev Plays Elgar
Guest Artist Inbal Segev, cello
Israeli-born Inbal Segev’s playing has been described as “characterized by a strong
and warm tone . . . delivered with impressive fluency and style,” by The Strad and “first class,” “richly inspired,” and “very moving indeed,” by Gramophone. Equally committed to new repertoire for the cello and known masterworks, Segev brings
interpretations that are both unreservedly natural and insightful to the vast range
of solo and chamber music that she performs. She will play Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto
in E minor. Also on the final concert of the season is Tchaikovsky’s beloved Swan Lake Suite.
Program:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Swan Lake Suite, op. 20A
Edward Elgar (1857-1934) - Cello Concerto in E minor, op. 85, Inbal Segev, cello