Bucks County Symphony Completes 56th Season

The season began with A Symphony of Flavors, a food and wine pairing in September 2008. This fundraising event offered guests the opportunity to enjoy wines perfectly matched with dishes from a variety of local restaurants. The event featured guest speaker Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic for The New York Times.  Mr. Asimov has contributed his culinary expertise and writing skills to two books, The New York Times Guide to Restaurants 2004 and $25 and Under: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York. He has also authored multiple newspaper columns as well as articles for magazines such as Food and Wine, Martha Stewart Living and Details.

The first concert of the season was held on October 11, 2008 and featured viola soloist Brett Deubner whose style has been called “extremely sensitive and expressive” by Classical New Jersey.  According to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, “there is a burning intensity to Deubner’s playing, and a refreshing variation in the color of his viola tone.” The evening’s performances included Georg Philipp Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G Major, Paul Hindemith’s Trauermusik, Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dances and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in c minor.

Grace Ju, the winner of BCS’s Concerto Competition, performed at the annual Young People’s Concert on December 7, 2008. Miss Ju is a student at Radnor High School who has won numerous awards and scholarships for her musical ability. This concert was also highlighted by a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Susan Klimpl, Principal of Linden Elementary School in Doylestown.  The Linden Elementary Choir, under the direction of Ms. Lilly Stefano, performed selections from The Sound of Music.

In February 2009, BCS performed Carmina Burana by Carl Orff to a standing room only crowd. This performance showcased the talents of the Central Bucks East High School Concert Choir, directed by Scott Teschner. The concert also featured percussionists from Central Bucks East Band, under the direction of Jason Morehouse, and soloists from the Academy of Vocal Arts.

Broadway entertainers and husband-and-wife team Liz Larsen and Sal Viviano performed at BCS’s annual Pops Concert on March 28, 2009. Ms. Larsen, a native of New Hope, has appeared in over ten Broadway productions and numerous off-Broadway shows, being nominated for awards such as the Tony Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award. She is a recipient of the Helen Hayes Award and the New York Musical Theater Festival Award. Mr. Viviano has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway shows. He most recently starred as Billy Flynn in the hit musical Chicago in New York. Mr. Viviano has appeared in several films, including Legally Blonde 2 and Black Roses and has made guest appearances on television programs such as Law and Order.

The final concert of the 2008-2009 season was held on May 2, 2009 and featured an outstanding performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 by piano soloist Katherine Chi. Ms. Chi was the first Canadian and the first woman to win Canada’s Honens International Piano Competition and was a prizewinner at the Busoni International Piano Competition. According to the New York Times, Ms. Chi’s playing shows “a keen musical intelligence and a powerful arsenal of technique.”

<< Back to list page - Email this Page