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What to expect during covid: Symphony Edition

What to Expect During COVID: Symphony Edition

December 2, 2020 by Grace Treutel
Art, Culture, Live Music, Musicians
alabama, classic, classical music, hso, huntsville, huntsville al, huntsville al live music, huntsville alabama, huntsville amphitheater, huntsville live music, huntsville music, huntsville orchestra, huntsville symphony orchestra, live music huntsville al, live music huntsville alabama, music venue, orchestra, outdoor event, outdoor venue, symphony, symphony orchestra, venue
Orchestra Image

In late September, we told Huntsville that the Huntsville Symphony was back – with a few modifications. And, in mid-November, HuntsvilleMusic.com decided to check these modifications out and report back so you, the lovely people of this weird rocket city, would know what to expect if you decided to hit up the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall at the VBC.

Our consensus on the modified symphony experience?

Awesome.

Our night kicked off with a few pre-show drinks at one of our favorite bars, the Poppy. Tom and I had both been to the symphony before, but we wondered aloud what it would be like in this COVID-cautious atmosphere. He guessed that there would be fewer musicians; I mourned the intermission, since we knew that the concert would be one full hour, start to finish, with no break.

After we warmed ourselves up with Guinness, we walked the short distance to the concert hall. Masks were a must, and we were in good company as we stepped inside, noting that the rest of the show-goers were masked as well. According to very clear signage, it was a requirement.

Orchestra

Another requirement was staying in your assigned seat since the seating is spread out to allow for deliberate social distancing. In between each group of audience members were at least two empty seats to ensure the health and safety of everyone in attendance.

We were helpfully directed to ours by an excited usher, who called out after us as we edged into our seats, “It’s so good to have you here!”

This level of cheer was infectious; you could tell that everyone around us was buzzing with excitement and had missed attending concerts put on by their beloved symphony.  The greeters at the door had been just as peppy, with crinkled-up eyes that belied big smiles beneath their masks. (And all this joy with the concert hall’s cocktail bars closed!)

Even the musicians seemed more animated than usual: fidgeting on stage, jiggling legs, glancing out at the audience. The excitement was palpable. There was distance between them, too – each individual musician was spaced out from his or her fellow artists to allow for social distancing, and I whispered to Tom that I was curious how that would affect the sound. “Do you think it will be thin?” I asked.

But before Tom could answer, the lights dimmed, voices dropped to whispers, and it was showtime.

Music Director and Conductor Gregory Vadja took to the stage and, after a brief introduction, lifted his arms and rounded out a swell of anticipation that popped with the first clear, perfect note.

I can tell you – the sound was far from thin.

Aleksandra Kasman

It was full and gorgeous and filled up the whole hall, all the way up to where Tom and I sat in the balcony. Our concert was from the Alps to the Appalachians, and I found that I didn’t miss the intermission one bit. Especially not when Aleksandra Kasman, the piano soloist who was resplendent in a gown seemingly made entirely out of winking, glittering stars, took the stage and poured her heart and soul out across the black and white keys.

After, Tom commented to me in a tone of awe, “I wish I could be half as good at anything as that woman is at the piano.”

The concert was punctuated with a tribute to all veterans in honor of Veteran’s Day: a medley of each military branch’s fight song, during which veterans in the audience were invited to stand and received a wave of applause in recognition of their service. It was a tasteful, uplifting tribute.

In short, even COVID-cautious the symphony makes for a remarkable night out. Whatever preconceived notions you have about symphony concerts, throw them out. It’s the perfect reason to dress up (or dress down – there is no dress code!), grab a drink or two, and sink into audible art that will take you to a completely different, stress-free reality. Something we could all use right now.

Thanks, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra – we’ll be back.

To see upcoming concerts and buy tickets, check out the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra online.

Tom & Grace at the symphony
Grace Headshot
Grace Treutel

Grace is the Content Director of HuntsvilleMusic.com and lives in Madison, AL, which really isn’t that far, guys.


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The Four Seasons - Fall Festival 1

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra at The Mark C. Smith Hall (VBC)

November 1, 2020 by Tom Patterson
classical music, huntsville al live music, huntsville live music, huntsville music, live music huntsville al, live music huntsville alabama, mark c. smith hall, orchestra, the von braun center

Praised by The Telegraph for her “piquancy and panache,” Georgia-based violin virtuoso Amy Schwartz Moretti opens the HSO Fall Festival with The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. It’s a golden opportunity to hear all four concertos – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – in their entirety. The Four Seasons are the most popular of the hundreds of diverse concertos penned by the “Red Priest.” These poetic, illustrative pieces continue to captivate audiences three centuries after their publication. Socially distanced, limited-capacity admission is FREE with advance tickets, and a mask is required.

 

Amy Schwartz

Amy Schwartz Moretti

Recognized as a deeply expressive artist with an affinity for chamber music, American violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility that spans nearly two decades. She is former Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and recipient of prizes from the D’Angelo International Young Artist Competition and the Irving M. Klein International String Competition.  She was also an award winner at the Washington International Competition for Strings and made her New York concerto debut in Carnegie Hall.  Her appearances during the 2016-17 season, include the Japanese premiere of “Three Shades of Blue,” GRAMMY® winner Matt Catingub’s concerto written for her.  She has served as guest concertmaster for the symphony orchestras of Pittsburgh and Atlanta; the Hawaii Pops and New York Pops; and the festival orchestras of Brevard, Colorado and Grand Teton, and has also served as Concertmaster of CityMusic Cleveland, a chamber orchestra bringing free concerts into the neighborhoods of northeastern Ohio.

In addition to her performances as an orchestral soloist and concertmaster, she is an award-winning chamber music artist, appearing in concert series and at music festivals across North America and Europe, and she is a member of the internationally acclaimed Ehnes Quartet. Their recent concert tours include appearances in Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Korea, the UK and USA.  Recent projects include studies of the complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets for performances at the 2016 DITTO Festival in Seoul, Korea titled “Four Days ~ Six Concerts ~ 18 Pieces,” and the recording of Schubert and Sibelius quartets for an album scheduled for release November 2016. She has recorded for Chandos, Harmonia Mundi, Onyx Classics, CBC Records, BCMF/Naxos and Sono Luminus. Her Prokofiev and Bartók duos with James Ehnes were included in recordings that received Juno Awards for “Classical Album of the Year – Solo or Chamber Ensemble” in 2014 and 2015.  Throughout her career, Ms. Moretti has been an advocate of chamber music and instrumental in the development of intensive workshops for young musicians in Oregon, Florida and Georgia.

Born in Wisconsin, raised in North Carolina and California, Amy lives in Georgia with her husband and two young sons. Director of the McDuffie Center for Strings since its inception at the Mercer University Townsend School of Music in 2007, she has also developed the Fabian Concert Series on campus featuring internationally distinguished artists in chamber music concerts and masterclasses, and is violinist of Cortona Trio with her McDuffie Center colleagues. Her dedication to collaboration and performance complements her directorship and inspires her teaching and coaching of the Center’s gifted young musicians.

The Cleveland Institute of Music has recognized her with an Alumni Achievement Award and she is the 2014 San Francisco Conservatory of Music Fanfare Honoree. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society in Chicago, Amy Schwartz Moretti plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini violin known as the “Canadian” and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan.

The Four Seasons - Fall Festival 1

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra at The Mark C. Smith Hall (VBC)

November 1, 2020 by Tom Patterson
classical music, huntsville al live music, huntsville live music, huntsville music, live music huntsville al, live music huntsville alabama, mark c. smith hall, orchestra, the von braun center

Praised by The Telegraph for her “piquancy and panache,” Georgia-based violin virtuoso Amy Schwartz Moretti opens the HSO Fall Festival with The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. It’s a golden opportunity to hear all four concertos – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – in their entirety. The Four Seasons are the most popular of the hundreds of diverse concertos penned by the “Red Priest.” These poetic, illustrative pieces continue to captivate audiences three centuries after their publication. Socially distanced, limited-capacity admission is FREE with advance tickets, and a mask is required.

 

Amy Schwartz

Amy Schwartz Moretti

Recognized as a deeply expressive artist with an affinity for chamber music, American violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility that spans nearly two decades. She is former Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and recipient of prizes from the D’Angelo International Young Artist Competition and the Irving M. Klein International String Competition.  She was also an award winner at the Washington International Competition for Strings and made her New York concerto debut in Carnegie Hall.  Her appearances during the 2016-17 season, include the Japanese premiere of “Three Shades of Blue,” GRAMMY® winner Matt Catingub’s concerto written for her.  She has served as guest concertmaster for the symphony orchestras of Pittsburgh and Atlanta; the Hawaii Pops and New York Pops; and the festival orchestras of Brevard, Colorado and Grand Teton, and has also served as Concertmaster of CityMusic Cleveland, a chamber orchestra bringing free concerts into the neighborhoods of northeastern Ohio.

In addition to her performances as an orchestral soloist and concertmaster, she is an award-winning chamber music artist, appearing in concert series and at music festivals across North America and Europe, and she is a member of the internationally acclaimed Ehnes Quartet. Their recent concert tours include appearances in Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Korea, the UK and USA.  Recent projects include studies of the complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets for performances at the 2016 DITTO Festival in Seoul, Korea titled “Four Days ~ Six Concerts ~ 18 Pieces,” and the recording of Schubert and Sibelius quartets for an album scheduled for release November 2016. She has recorded for Chandos, Harmonia Mundi, Onyx Classics, CBC Records, BCMF/Naxos and Sono Luminus. Her Prokofiev and Bartók duos with James Ehnes were included in recordings that received Juno Awards for “Classical Album of the Year – Solo or Chamber Ensemble” in 2014 and 2015.  Throughout her career, Ms. Moretti has been an advocate of chamber music and instrumental in the development of intensive workshops for young musicians in Oregon, Florida and Georgia.

Born in Wisconsin, raised in North Carolina and California, Amy lives in Georgia with her husband and two young sons. Director of the McDuffie Center for Strings since its inception at the Mercer University Townsend School of Music in 2007, she has also developed the Fabian Concert Series on campus featuring internationally distinguished artists in chamber music concerts and masterclasses, and is violinist of Cortona Trio with her McDuffie Center colleagues. Her dedication to collaboration and performance complements her directorship and inspires her teaching and coaching of the Center’s gifted young musicians.

The Cleveland Institute of Music has recognized her with an Alumni Achievement Award and she is the 2014 San Francisco Conservatory of Music Fanfare Honoree. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society in Chicago, Amy Schwartz Moretti plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini violin known as the “Canadian” and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan.

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