The University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra presented its season finale performance on Saturday, April 20. The concert, “Young at Heart,” featured popular classics for all ages and began at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.
“I wanted to end the year with music that is all smiles and sure to please the entire family,” said Kevin Bartram, maestro of the Philharmonic.
The concert featured the Rappahannock Youth Symphony, directed by Veronica Jackson, in a solo piece and with the Philharmonic in the “Russian Sailor’s Dance.” For the first time, the Philharmonic presented “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” narrated by Keith Peters from Classics Radio. The work, by Benjamin Britten, highlights each section of the orchestra illustrates what various instruments sound like.
The program also included Copland’s “Billy the Kid Suite,” Kabalevsky’s “Dance of the Comedians,” Dvorak’s “Humoresque” and Jaromir Weinberger’s “Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bagpiper.”
The orchestra was honored by the American Prize as being among the top nine college orchestras in the country in 2009 and Bartram was honored as a top conductor in the college orchestra conductors division. The group, in its 42nd year, is comprised of both students and community members.
“It’s a great mix of talent, and each group brings out the best in the other,” said Bartram.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://philharmonic.umw.edu, call (540) 654-1324 or visit the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center.