The Augusta Symphony wants people to “come together” this season to enjoy live music and share experiences with each other.
“’Come Together’ is the headline for the season,” said Dirk Meyer, conductor for the symphony whose season begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Miller Theater. “In the symphony series, each concert has a different theme. The first is ‘under the stars.’”
When you put the header with the theme, you get a broader picture of the individual concerts in the symphony series. The season has a Pops! Series and a family series.
The season opener features Itamar Zorman on the violin and a repertoire related to the “Come Together Under the Stars” banner, said Meyer.
The pieces include Golijov’s “Sidereus,” Bruch’s “Violin Concert No. 1,” Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for orbiting spheres)” and Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will feature the familiar wedding march.
“The four pieces are all outdoorsy with a crisp night feeling,” he said.
The works evoke the images of celestial bodies at night.
Golijov is an Argentinian composer and “Sidereus” is a “very, very beautiful piece,” Meyer said.
October is a full month for the symphony, and Meyer said the musicians are excited to be back for a full season. Last year, the concerts had limited numbers of musicians to allow for social distancing on stage.
The theater was only partially filled as guidelines allowed for fewer patrons. Many regular concertgoers had to watch the live events from their homes as the symphony streamed them.
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This year, there will be a full orchestra and hopefully a full house.
Another event scheduled for October is part of the Pops! Series.
The orchestra will play the score to “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” while the film plays at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Miller Theater.
Meyer said the symphony played the score to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in October 2019, and the concept is a popular one. People often get lost in the music and forget the symphony is playing on stage underneath the large projection screen.
Meyer said that’s a good thing because it means the musicians are doing their job.
The month rounds out with one of two family concerts. The Halloween concert will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 at the Jabez Sanford Hardin Performing Arts Center in Columbia County.
The family concert lasts about an hour, and it doesn’t matter if children can’t sit still, he said.
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“This is a way to introduce young families to orchestra music,” he said. “There’s a good mix of songs.”
The concert will feature songs they likely know such as pieces from the movie “Frozen” with other classical pieces woven into the repertoire.
A full schedule is available at the symphony’s website augustasymphony.com. Tickets are available at the symphony website or at the Miller Theater website millertheateraugusta.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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