The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra will host its next concert on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Virginia State University’s historic Anderson-Turner Auditorium.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for current students and seniors.
“The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra is always looking to grow and expand its community work. We need many community partners to help us to do this work. We are elated that Virginia State University has opened its doors for rehearsal space and performance space as needed. We have gone from offering 200 seat concerts to now 900 seats to fill in the Anderson-Turner Auditorium. That’s a major undertaking. We must shout from the mountaintops that we are here for everyone to partake. Music is what heals us from the great loss and devastation that plagues our community,” said Executive Director Brian C. Little Sr.
The spring concert features Dvorak’s Symphony #9 in E minor “From the New World.” It is a celebration of the American sound and contribution. As the theme for this concert is reflective of the current times we live in, the PSO Maestra mentions that “Resiliency” can be tied to the 9th Symphony, popularly known as the New World Symphony, composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893.
Audience members will hear elements characteristic of Indigenous American music and spirituals from enslaved Africans including syncopated rhythms, pentatonic scales, and flatted sevenths in this composition.
This concert is special in that it will be the first time that the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra will feature a relatively new work entitled “Before Dawn” by Jasmine Arielle Barnes. She says that “Before Dawn” is childlike and is a somewhat playful approach to the life of nocturnal animals. The piece illustrates the daily life of animals as the sun sets and the rest they receive as the sun rises.
Barnes is a promising composer/vocalist who has performed and has had her music performed all over the world. She is a multifaceted composer who embraces any writing style of music using a variety of instrumentation and specializes in writing for the voice.
As a full-time composer, Barnes is a composer in residence for American Lyric Theater and has held residencies as a composer fellow at Chautauqua Opera 2021 season, as well as a residency with All Classical Portland. She has held the privilege of being commissioned by numerous organizations such as The Washington National Opera (in celebration of the Kennedy Center’s 50th year anniversary), Bare Opera, Resonance Ensemble, Tapestry Choir, City Works Cleveland, LyricFest Philadelphia, Baltimore Choral Arts, Burleigh Music Festival, Symphony Number One, Baltimore Musicales, The Voic(ed) Project, amongst others. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra is excited about this opportunity.
The Symphony is now in its 45th season. Founded by VSU professor Dr. F. Nathaniel Gatlin and having lost its second beloved PSO Maestro Ulysses Kirksey while dealing with the effects of COVID, it has been a challenging two years for the symphony. New Maestra Naima Burrs talks about keeping the music playing during these times and expanding the legacy of the Orchestra moving forward.
“To say that it is an absolute honor to serve in this capacity, as the next music director, would be an understatement,” Burrs said. “The history of Petersburg is incredible, and the work that both Dr. Gatlin and Maestro Kirksey did to ensure that the PSO is an impactful cultural resource for the community, has been very valuable. It is my goal to continue to honor this incredible legacy, to serve the community and to share the wonderful power of music with all. I want to expand our outreach efforts to create a prominent and lasting relationship with the public school system, ensuring that all students have access to the arts.”
Tickets to the concert are $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and students and can be purchased through the website, or on the Eventbrite website by searching Petersburg Symphony. Get your tickets early to ensure a seat.
To learn more about the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, their upcoming concerts and how you can get involved, please log onto www.petersburgsymphony.org.
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