February 6, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 6, 2015
For more information, contact:
Rachel Dellinger
KSO Director of Communications
Direct: 865-521-2317 Cell: 865-660-3037
[email protected]
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform Antonin Dvořák’s Stabat Mater as part of the Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series. Maestro Lucas Richman leads the Orchestra joined by the Knoxville Choral Society and four soloists for this powerful piece. The concert will take place on Thursday, February 19 and Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre. These performances are sponsored by Partners Development. Tickets start at just $15.
Czech composer Antonin Dvořák based this beautiful composition on the 13th-century text from the Catholic hymn to Mary. Many composers wrote music based on this religious text, but Dvořák’s Stabat Mater is by far the grandest. The work was completed in 1877 and is divided into 10 parts, performed over 90 minutes.
Four soloists will be featured on this stunning choral work. Natalee McReynolds is a soprano from Knoxville, TN who has performed with orchestras throughout the U.S. and in China and Austria. Lauren Lyles is a young mezzo-soprano from Wears Valley, TN whose operatic engagements took her to Dresden, Sachsen, Germany, where she currently lives and studies. Tenor Dustin Peterson recently performed leading roles in Puccini’s Tosca and Verdi’s La Traviata, and also travels to perform with Orchestras around the U.S. At 6 feet, 8 inches tall, singer Benjamin LeClair has towered over his colleagues on stages in Chicago, Santa Fe, and in Germany where he has given over 150 performances as lead bass soloist at the Oldenburg State Theater.
Maestro Lucas Richman has served as Music Director for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra since 2003 and as Music Director and Conductor for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra since 2010. The Knoxville Choral Society was established in 1951 and has grown to a 150-voice auditioned chorus that performs choral masterworks and chamber pieces in a yearly concert series, currently under the direction of Dr. Eric Thorson.
Patrons can attend pre-concert chats at 6:30 p.m. in the concert hall before each performance. Guest performers will offer their personal perspective and audience members will have a chance for Q&A with the artists. This is a unique get-to-know-you opportunity.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 865-291-3310 or visiting the KSO website. Single tickets start at just $15! Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 865-521-2337.
About the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
The KSO has contributed to the cultural life in East Tennessee since 1935 as the oldest continually operating orchestra. Under the leadership of Lucas Richman, the orchestra consists of 80 professional musicians and performs more than 250 programs throughout East Tennessee each season, including non-traditional places like hospitals, school classrooms, nursing homes, city parks and churches in addition to the concert hall. The KSO reaches more than 200,000 people throughout the region each year. More information about the KSO including the calendar of events can be found at www.knoxvillesymphony.com.
