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Season tickets are now on sale for the 65th season of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra.  Music Director John Strickler has put together a seven-concert series that features a wide variety of music ranging from traditional “classical” fare to jazz.  New subscribers who purchase at least three concerts receive 50% off the regular subscription price. 

The season opens September 25 with principal cellist Steven Elisha stepping into the spotlight for the Cello Concerto in D major by Franz Joseph Haydn.  “Steven is a consummate artist, and it is a thrill to again feature him as our soloist,” Strickler said.  “We’ll also play the lush First Symphony by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, which we last performed twelve years ago.  It’s very descriptive and is considered to be one of the last romantic symphonies along the lines of Tchaikovsky.”  The program will open with the rousing overture to the opera “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) by Johann Strauss, Jr. 

The October 30 concert will feature the string and percussion sections of the TSO in a program called “Strings on Fire.”  Highlighting the concert will be music from Georges Bizet’s sultry opera “Carmen.”  “Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin condensed Bizet’s wonderful music into a 45-minute set that was used for a ballet,” Strickler commented.  The program will also include the ethereal “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten” by Estonian composer Arvo Paert, and Ottorino Respighi’s delightful suite of “Ancient Airs and Dances”.

Wednesday, December 8 is the date for the Capitol Federal Holiday Concert.  An annual tradition, this concert features a program of festive holiday music.

On January 15, the Symphony pays tribute to the Kansas Sesquicentennial with a program featuring Kansas artists and composers.  A new song cycle, “From the Heartland,” by native son Kirke Mechem will receive its world premiere.  “Kirke’s father was director of the Kansas State Historical Society and also a playwright and poet.  Kirke set four of his poems for baritone and orchestra,” Strickler explained.  “It’s a beautiful piece, and Kirke told me he thought it was his best work.”  David Okerlund will be the soloist.  The program also features “Flint Hills Contours” by Lawrence composer Charles Hoag, and several selections from the Kansas Song Project by Cally Krallman and Diane Gillenwater. 

Soprano Kristen Watson, a Topeka native, returns to sing Mozart and Mahler on February 12.  “This will be Kristen’s third time singing with us,” Strickler said.  “She has the perfect voice for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, which is a child’s vision of heaven.  And anyone who heard her sing Mozart’s ‘Alleluia’ on the holiday program has already gotten a taste of the cantata ‘Exultate Jubilate’.” 

The vocal quintet Five By Design returns to Topeka on March 12 for “Richie’s House of Jazz” featuring legendary jazz saxophonist Richie Cole.  According to Strickler, “Richie has played with all of the greats and is celebrating his 40th anniversary in the business.   He twice has been featured on the cover of Downbeat magazine, who touted him as the heir apparent to Charlie Parker.  We’re extremely excited to present this special tribute program.”  This performance will be the debut of “Richie’s House of Jazz” with a symphony orchestra.

The season concludes on April 30 with a program of The Three B’s – Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.  The program will open with a suite from the Anna Magdalena Notebook by J.S. Bach.  “Anyone who has ever taken piano lessons will recognize these tunes,”

Strickler said.  “Beethoven’s 8th Symphony is one of his most delightful – full of light and wit.  And then we’ll knock your socks off with the powerful First Piano Concerto by Brahms with Julius Kim as soloist.  I’ve worked with Mr. Kim twice before, and everyone is in for a real treat.”

All concerts will be held at 7:30 in White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus.  Concert goers can create their own season package by selecting as few as three concerts from the entire seven-concert offerings.  A Flex Pass good for any combination of four admissions is also available.  New subscribers can take advantage of special a half-price promotion.  Single tickets for all concerts go on sale September 1. 

To order tickets or request a brochure, contact the Symphony office at 785-232-2032 or tso@topekasymphony.org.  Information is also available at the Symphony website www.topekasymphony.org.

The Topeka Symphony is sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency which believes that a great nation deserves great art, ArtsConnect, and Washburn University.