The 27th season of the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs opens in good humor with Haydn’s Symphony No. 73 “The Hunt,” one of his most joyous and witty works. Kelly Zuercher joins the Chamber Orchestra to revisit the Ravel Piano Concerto, and jazz-influenced piece that shaped Zuercher’s early career. Rounding out the festivities is Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony—an unlikely comic symphony written by the great composer just before changing the world of music with his Ninth Symphony.

Franz Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 73 in D Major “La chasse”

Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F Major, op. 93

November 6 & 7, 2010: Emerging from Darkness: Life after WW2

It was the aftermath of World War II: America celebrated, England rebuilt, and the USSR sank into darkness. Three of the most stunning works of this period come together to create a poignant experience of life after the most tragic human conflict in history.

Dmitri Shostakovich Chamber Symphony, op. 110a

Aaron Copland Clarinet Concerto

Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5 in D Major

January 29 & 30, 2011: Voices of Light: COS and the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble

Composer Morten Lauridsen is a rising star, with audiences enthralled by his beautiful harmonies and lyricism. Lux Aeterna is the first major work of Lauridsen performed in our region, and caps off a program of luminations by Mozart, Saint-Saëns, and Handel. Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble, the finest vocal ensemble in our region, joins the Chamber Orchestra along with rising young tenor John Lindsey for an unforgettable concert experience.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Per pietà, non ricercate, K.420

Misero! O sogno—Aura, che intorno spiri, K.431

Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony in A Major

George Frideric Handel Coronation Anthem: The King Shall Rejoice, HWV259

Morten Lauridsen Lux Aeterna

February 26 & 27, 2011: Illuminations of Genius

Revolutionary poet Arthur Rimbaud rocked the world of poetry with his Illuminations, which inspired Benjamin Britten to write a song cycle based upon the poems. Two other musical revolutionaries, Mendelssohn and Mozart, round out this program with pieces that changed music forever. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto redefined the genre, while Mozart’s Jupiter symphony brought symphonic form to a new level.

Benjamin Britten Les Illuminations

Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K551, Jupiter

Season Finale: April 30 & May 1, 2011

Our 27th season ends with a lyric and inspiring program of Barber, Beethoven, Fauré, and Tchaikovsky. Barber’s haunting Adagio for Strings pairs with Beethoven’s powerful Third Piano Concerto, featuring Amateur Pianists International winner Dmytro Vynohradov. Tchaikovsky’s homage to Mozart—his popular Mozartiana suite—brings the season to a triumphant close in a performance that cannot be missed.

Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings, op. 11

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37

Gabriel Fauré Elegy, op. 24

Pyotr Tchaikovsky Suite No. 4, op. 61, in G Major (Mozartiana)

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- Chamber Orchestra of the Springs

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The Chamber Orchestra started as a place for fine musicians to make serious music. Performances were few. The budget was painfully laughable. This beautiful light in the darkness might have been extinguished if not for the care and oversight of longtime musicians and their dedicated music directors, like Edward Lanning, Randy Fischer, and the late Frank Toth, who conducted some fine performances before cancer took him at far too young an age. Diana Zombola, our principal violist, is the only orchestra member who has performed with the Chamber Orchestra all 24 years, also serving admirably on the board of directors.

On an August evening in 1996, just off a plane from Oklahoma , I stepped in front of the Chamber Orchestra for the first time. There were four candidates for Music Director; each would conduct half a rehearsal. Three finalists would conduct during the 1996-1997 season … or so they thought. A brief hour over Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and we were fast friends. The search was called off and I was named Music Director. The following week, I attended a board meeting, learning that the orchestra had a grand total of $60 in the bank. There was work to do!

It all seems so quaint, simple, and logical now. We raised the level of our performances. We moved the orchestra downtown to First Christian Church—an acoustically and aesthetically superior location we are still proud to call “home.” We put new marketing and development plans in place and started reaching out to other performing arts groups, joining forces to get the community excited about our mission. We were growing and succeeding against all odds.

Our successes also attracted other community leaders. Lionel Rivera and Rocky Scott made cameo appearances in our programs, while others rolled up their sleeves and gave serious time and energy to help us. Most notable of these leaders is David Ball, our current Board President. David came to us with decades of experience running orchestras. He helped us run the business side of our organization more professionally and intelligently, inspiring the artistic side to “think big.” David’s contributions to the Chamber Orchestra cannot be overstated. As he and his wife, Gail, our principal oboist, plan a new life in Oregon , we cannot thank them enough for all they’ve given.

So today is about beginnings and endings, new phrases and counterpoint in the Song of the Earth. Imagine Beethoven, panned by critics for his Second Symphony, continuing along his path to write an audacious, daring, bold symphony like the Eroica—the piece that changed music forever. Vision and perseverance are rare, precious gifts. The musicians you’re hearing today, their predecessors and their leaders are, without question, heroes.

With every good wish,

– Thomas Wilson

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