To encourage children, they’ll get in free with a paying adult

Published in the Oct. 1-14, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Marty Cheek

Photo by Marty Cheek Tony Quartuccio, South Valley Symphony conductor and music director, runs the musicians through a dress rehearsal.

Photo by Marty Cheek
Tony Quartuccio, South Valley Symphony conductor and music director, runs the musicians through a dress rehearsal.

The South Valley Symphony wants to take its audience members on “A Musician’s Journey” as it opens its 2014/2015 concert season at Gavilan Community College’s theater Oct. 11. And it especially wants to encourage children to take their first steps in the journey of exploring the world of classical music with free admission with a paying parent or guardian.

Symphony Music Director and Conductor Tony Quartuccio considers the 41st season a “sequel” to the successful 40th anniversary season that ended literally with a bang (with the canon explosion of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”) in spring. This year’s concert series will have four concerts expressing the stages of “A Musician’s Journey,” he said.

The Oct. 11 fall concert is called “Dreams and Aspirations,” the Dec. 14 winter concert is called “Traditions New and Old,” the March 7 spring concert is called “Musicians Among Us, Rising Stars,” and the May 10 concert at the Mission San Juan Bautista is called “A Master’s Legacy.”

“The season expresses what is it like for a musician to go from knowing nothing about a musical piece to being intimately involved in it and performing it,” Quartuccio said. “The 41st season is going to be more exciting for this reason.”

The first concert will start with the orchestra performing Mozart’s “Overture to the Marriage of Figaro,” which Quartuccio calls “a light-hearted, energetic little masterpiece that will set the tone and the attitude for the season, for the joy that we have for playing music.” This will be followed by Saint-Saens’ “Concert for Piano & Orchestra in G minor,” with 16-year-old Bay Area pianst Henry Smolen performing as the soloist.

Henry Smolen, 16, performs with symphony members during a recent rehearsal. At the Oct. 11 “Dreams and Aspirations Concert” at Gavilan College, he will perform as the piano soloist playing Saint-Saens’ “Concert for Piano & Orchestra in G minor.” This will be Smolen’s debut with the South Valley Symphony. Photo by Marty Cheek

Henry Smolen, 16, performs with symphony members during a recent rehearsal. At the Oct. 11 “Dreams and Aspirations Concert” at Gavilan College, he will perform as the piano soloist playing Saint-Saens’ “Concert for Piano & Orchestra in G minor.” This will be Smolen’s debut with the South Valley Symphony.
Photo by Marty Cheek

Quartuccio discovered Smolen’s piano talents when he judged a music competition in spring and was impressed by the musical abilities of the young man.

“His piano playing was so electric, so mature, yet also very cool and very focused that I thought I’ve got to find a place for this young man to play that particular piece,” he said.

The third and final piece of the Oct. 11 concert will feature Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 1: Winter Daydreams” which the Russian composer wrote when he was in his 20s.

“It’s one of these pieces where the composer is taking a stab at writing his first symphony, which is a very bold thing for a composer to do,” Quartuccio said. “This is before Tchaivosky became really famous as the Tchakovsky we know, so this is a glimpse of his aspirations of what will come later in his symphonies. This piece is full of all kinds of interesting moods and feeling and emotions, but it has a very youthful experience to it.”

The South Valley Symphony has made a tradition of making its concerts available for families with children to encourage young people to discover an appreciation of classical music. Children under 18 can come in for free with an adult and free tickets are also available to local students including Gavilan students.

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Violinists with the South Valley Symphony rehearse for the upcoming Oct. 11 concert. Photo by Marty Cheek

“It’s becoming more and more apparent in the mainstream media that music and education are really a powerful combination,” Quartuccio said. “Students who study music excel in every area and have a much greater chance of success later on in life because of the discipline and the emotional connections and commitment … We want to introduce symphonic music as early as we can to students of all ages. That’s why we want to make it free for children and students. This is an experience that no one should be denied for any economic reason.”

South Valley Symphony President of the Board Lynn Lockhart encourages families to use the Oct. 11 concert to introduce youngsters to the pleasure of symphonic music.

“According to maestro Anthony Quartuccio, the early rehearsals have gone very well,” he said. “This may be the best opening concert of any season. A family that attends events together shares an experience that some members will remember for a life-time. A live concert of classical music will introduce new music and instruments to both hear and see. Some kids might enjoy coming on-stage at intermission to see the instruments and the musicians up-close and personal. This experience may lead to the dreams and aspirations in them of becoming a musician in the future. At a minimum, this experience should lead to a better appreciation of the music and how it is actually produced.”