Make good friends at Macon Symphony concert
Up next in the Macon Symphony Orchestra’s 40th anniversary season is “Friends Old and New,” the second concert in the current season, which is set for Saturday evening at the Grand Opera House.
Among those old friends is Thomas Underwood, since 1981 the MSO’s principal oboist. Underwood will be the soloist in Concerto for Oboe No. 3 in G minor by George Frederic Handel, another “old friend.”
Underwood initially studied oboe at Georgia State University in Atlanta and then went on to earn a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. In his long and distinguished career he has performed with numerous well-known orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, plus taught at several Atlanta-area colleges.
What about the “new friends” on the program? “Satchmo” (A Tribute to Lois Armstrong) will include such classics as “What a Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Hello Dolly” and others.
Also on the program are Julius Fucik’s “Entrance of the Gladiators” and “Buckaroo Holiday” from Aaron Copeland’s ballet “Rodeo.”
This diverse program should prove a true crowd-pleaser, offering a little something for every taste.
A special promotional effort in the days prior to the concert has been aimed at getting season ticket subscribers to invite friends as first-time guests. Let’s hope that this offer brings out many new faces.
Compared with listening to a recording, seeing and hearing a live orchestra is an experience not to be missed. To employ an apocryphal analogy said to have been made famous by Mark Twain, it’s like the difference between a lightning bug and the thunderclap of actual lightning.
To enhance the musical experience even further, check out the pre-concert Conductor Chat scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The MSO’s exciting new conductor, Gerald Steichen, will equip the audience with educated ears.
“Friends Old and New”
What: Macon Symphony Orchestra concert
When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. conductor chat; 7:30 p.m. concert
Where: Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry St.
Cost: $40 adults, $20 students, $15 children
This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Make good friends at Macon Symphony concert."