Something special awaits tomorrow

DOWNEY - A world premiere will be heard tomorrow evening, Oct. 24, in Downey's Civic Theatre, a work entitled "Generations: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra," by the young composer Daniel James Chan, who dedicates it to his late grandfather as "a metaphoric link between his and my music worlds."Performed by the Downey Symphony under Music Director Sharon Lavery, with the incomparable violinist Roger Wilkie, this premiere is in very good hands. We applauded Wilkie's appearance as guest soloist in the spring of 2007 when he performed the Tchaikovsky concerto and are delighted he is returning for this special occasion. Wilkie's career covers 26 years as a chamber musician and soloist. Since 1990 he has served as concertmaster of the Long Beach Symphony, and he made three recent European tours concretizing with the Pacific Trio. Somehow, amid all that, he participated in hundreds of soundtracks on Hollywood films. Good hands. The Saturday concert opens with Dvorak's Carnival Overture, and the second half bring us distinctly different moods from American composer Aaron Copland, with his thoughtful and tender "Appalachian Spring," followed by the exuberance of two scenes from "Rodeo." The orchestra performs in the Downey Theatre, 8425 Firestone Blvd. Concert time is 8 p.m., preceded by a preview discussion at 7:15. Tickets priced at $30 and $25, $10 for students, are available at the theater box office prior to performance. Free parking surrounds the theater, and inside the theater awaits a memorable evening. For your calendars, the next concert dates by the Downey Symphony are Jan. 23 and April 10, 2010. Our website is www.downeysymphony.org.

********** Published: October 23, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 27