Syracuse Symphony at Quick Center

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Samuel Wong and featuring violinist Philippe Quint, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

The concert is being presented by Friends of Good music in association with The Quick Center.

The program promises to be a “crowd pleaser,” said Joseph A. LoSchiavo, executive director of The Quick Center, noting Quint will perform the rhapsodic Violin Concerto in D-Major by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The evening will also feature the popular symphony “From the New World” by Dvořák.

“The Czech composer Antonin Dvořák’s ‘Symphony from the New World’ has become one of the most popular pieces of classical music among American audiences,” said LoSchiavo. “And we are fortunate to hear the dynamic Philippe Quint’s rendition of Korngold’s Violin Concerto before he records it for Naxos Records later this year. The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra’s concerts at The Quick Center are firmly established as audience favorites and we are grateful for the symphony’s continued support in touring to communities in Western New York.”

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra began in 1961 as a community orchestra and quickly evolved into a fully professional resident orchestra serving central and northern New York state. An ensemble of national acclaim, the symphony boasts 79 musicians and a conducting staff of international caliber. It performs 193 full-orchestra and chamber ensemble concerts throughout central and northern New York, reaching more than 225,000 audience members during its 39-week season.

Guest conductor Wong first came to international attention with his New York Philharmonic debut.

in 1990. In addition to having held music directorships with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the New York Youth Symphony, Wong has appeared as guest conductor with the major orchestras of Toronto, Montreal, New York, Seattle, Houston, London (Royal Philharmonic), Brussels, Prague, Tel Aviv, Tokyo (Japan Philharmonic), Italy (Milan, Palermo, Rome) and Spain (Valencia, Bilbao). He made his operatic debut conducting Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” with the Canadian Opera Company. In 1997, he led performances of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in Beijing as part of the Hennessey Opera Series.

Violinist Quint was born of a rich musical heritage in St. Petersburg, Russia. He left the former Soviet Union in 1991 and is now an American citizen. He studied at Juilliard with the legendary Dorothy Delay and amassed top prizes at many international competitions. Coming concert highlights include a debut with the Weimar Staatskapelle, as well as a series of recitals in London, Edinburgh, Boston, Atlanta, Nancy (France) and Carnegie Hall in New York.

He will also release two CDs on the Naxos label: John Corigliano’s world premiere recording of “The Red Violin Caprices,” as well as the Korngold Violin Concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto conducting the Orchestra de Mineria. His debut album including William Schuman’s Violin Concerto earned him two Grammy Award nominations.

This performance is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts. For tickets and information please call the QCA at (716) 375-2494. Season ticket holders who are not able to attend the concert are asked to let the box office know so the tickets can be given to students.

This performance concludes Friends of Good Music’s Classical Music Series. Its World Music Series concludes Wednesday, May 6, with “Music From India,” featuring sarod player Aditya Verma, a performance rescheduled from earlier this year.

For each Friends of Good Music performance, The Quick Center galleries open an hour before the performance and remain open throughout intermission. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is open to the public year round at no cost.

Photos courtesy of St. Bonaventure University