Charlottesville & University Symphony Wraps Season with Mozart, Shostakovich

The Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra will conclude its 39th season with two concerts – on April 26 at 8 p.m., in Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia, and April 27 at 4 p.m., at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, a new venue and start time for the orchestra. 

Conducted by Music Director Kate Tamarkin, the concerts open with Mussorgsky’s Triumphal March from “Mlada,” which captures the feeling of 19th-century Imperial Russia; Mozart’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 25, K.503; and Shostakovich’s powerful Symphony No. 5 in D Minor.

The guest soloist is Anne-Marie McDermott, who the Philadelphia Inquirer called “one of the great American pianists of her generation.” She has performed with most of American’s leading orchestras. A member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, she is also artistic director of the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival in Florida and the Avila Chamber Music Celebration in Curaçao.

Making its concert debut is a Bösendorfer Model 225 concert grand piano, a gift to U.Va.’s McIntire Department of Music by Charlottesville residents Katherine and Richard Douglas, who are also sponsoring the weekend’s performances.

A “Know the Score” pre-concert lecture will be presented 45 minutes before Saturday’s concert in Minor Hall. (This month only, there is no lecture prior to the Sunday concert.) Free of charge, these informative and entertaining presentations by Richard Will, an associate professor of music who chairs the department, offer both novice and experienced patrons a deeper appreciation of the performances.                   

Free parking for Saturday’s concert is available in the U.Va. Central Grounds Parking Garage, located on Emmet Street, and at the high school on Sunday afternoon. Both venues are wheelchair accessible. Charlottesville Transit’s free trolley makes several stops along McCormick Road, close to Old Cabell Hall.

Tickets are $10 to $40 for adults and $10 for students. U.Va students may request one complimentary ticket in advance. Tickets may be purchased anytime online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu, or on weekdays between noon and 5 p.m. by calling the U.Va. Arts Box Office at 434-924-3376 or visiting the lobby of the Drama Building at 109 Culbreth Road.

Holders of Public Broadcasting MemberCards are eligible for two-for-one admission on either concert date. U.Va. employees are entitled to a 20 percent discount. This offer does not apply to subscriptions or previously purchased tickets.