Violinist Marie Wang will be the guest soloist as Clinton Symphony Orchestra launches its 64th season Saturday, September 30th. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on stage in Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School.
Wang is a founding member of the world-class Avalon String Quartet, now in residence at Northern Illinois University, where she also serves as Associate Professor of Violin. She holds degrees from McGill University, NIU, and the Julliard School of Music.
She will perform two pieces by Mozart with the orchestra, his Rondo in C major, and Adagio in E major. In addition, she will visit instrumental music classes in the Sterling Schools, made possible by a grant from CGH Medical Center.
The new season is the 11th year for conductor Brian Dollinger. He will open the program with a Beethoven overture to the stage play Coriolan. Although the play did not last very long, Beethoven’s overture is a favorite of concert audiences.
A Serenade for Strings by British composer Edward Elgar is next. Although written early in his career, Elgar considered it one of his finest works.
After the two pieces with Marie Wang, the orchestra will perform Mozart’s final symphony, No. 41, known as the “Jupiter Symphony.”
The Symphony is joined by Community State Bank to provide a bus from Clinton, through Fulton and Morrison, to the concert in Sterling.
“The bus project began several years ago as a hedge against winter driving conditions, but it quickly became an enjoyable way for those along Route 30 to get to the concert,” Executive Director Robert Whipple said. “Concert-goers enjoy Sterling’s beautiful auditorium and its fine acoustics,” he said.
Information and reservations for the bus can be made by calling 563-219-8084.
Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults, and all students are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at the door, or in advance at Grummert’s Hardware in Sterling, Fitzgerald Pharmacy in Morrison, Tegeler Music in Clinton, or online at www.clintonsymphony.org.
The website also has complete program notes for the music to be performed.