The San Juan Symphony remains the classical musical outlet in the Southwest, with performances that continue to be packed house affairs.
It also continues to have a mission of education that goes hand-in-hand with its mission of entertainment. As Arthur Post leads the symphony through his final season as musical director, it continues to incorporate teaching into all it does, including in Saturday’s Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College performance, titled “Three Favorites.”
The “Three Favorites” will include: Gliere’s Russian Sailors Dance, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G major.
The performance will include a “Side by Side” performance, which is a dozen middle and high school students performing one of the selections beside their orchestra mentors.
The guest musician sitting in with the symphony is New York-based pianist Tanya Gabrielian. Virtuosos are likely jumping at any opportunity to sit in with symphonies across the country; when conductor Arthur Post heard she had been approached, it was a no-brainer.
“Most of our concerts have a featured soloist who is not from the area. The audience and musicians all look forward to hearing an accomplished virtuoso and enjoy the synergy that the soloist brings to all performers,” Post said Post. “We get lots of promotional materials on solo artists, but her musicality really stood out. I think she really communicates as she performs, as if she’s speaking the music.”
Gabrielian’s trip to Durango will be a series of firsts. It will be her first time playing in Southwest Colorado, her first time playing with musical director Arthur Post and the symphony, and her first time playing this piece by Mozart.
“But it’s always been on my bucket list. The second movement is absolutely heartbreaking. It was a chance to play and a chance to see a part of the country that I haven’t been to before, and a chance to work with a new orchestra and a new conductor. It’s exciting,” Gabrielian said during in a phone interview. “It’s always fun to learn a new piece. You end playing the same concerto over and over again. Audiences love to hear Tchaikovsky, and it’s time for something new. This Mozart concerto is probably one of the most popular ones, but it’s something for me that’s new. That always makes me excited, to take a piece that’s so loved and come from it with a fresh outlook.”
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Saturday: Pianist Tanya Gabrielian with the San Juan Symphony, 7:30 p.m. $34-$50, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, 247-7657.
Saturday: Reggae with Magi Nation, 9 p.m., no cover. The Balcony Backstage, 600 Main Avenue upstairs, 764-4083.
