Dear Friends,
Welcome to a landmark season for the Wellesley Symphony season of Orchestra!
The 2008-9 season marks our 60th and our 15th with Maestro Max Hobart at
the helm. We planned a very special series of six concerts for you and
hope to see you at each one.
The theme of this season is American Music. Every concert includes music by American Composers - from the past, from the area, and from Wellesley, itself. Into this latter category fall Peter Child, Larry Bell and Julia Scott Carey, whose composition will be a world premiere.
Our soloists
include a roster of internationally acclaimed artists. A winner of the Vladimir
Horowitz Scholarship from Julliard, Constantine Finehhouse concertized
extensively in the United States and Europe. Presently, he is recording
William Bolcom's complete piano solo works for Naxos Records. Soprano Jayne
West has been a constant favorite in the Boston area, and beyond, for many
years. A past winner of the New England Regional Met Auditions, her silvery
voice and charming stage presence will win you hearts immediately.
The soloist for our Holiday Pops concert is a teenager from Milton, soprano Elaine
Daiber. The talented Ms. Daiber was selected for All State Chorus,
with a recommendation for All Eastern. She has played the leading role in many
musicals and been a feature at Amazing Things Arts Center. She also plays
bassoon in an orchestra at the New England Conservatory. Keisuke Wakeo is
Assistant Principal Oboe for the Boston Symphony and Principal Oboe for the
Boston Pops. He has made numerous solo appearances with major orchestras and in
recitals. In 1988 Mr. Wakeo founded the annual Keisuke Wakeo Oboe Camp in Tokyo.
He is currently on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.
Featured in our SECOND ANNUAL FREE FAMILY CONCERT in March is the charismatic storyteller Bonnie Greenberg. Her vibrant, engaging stories are rooted in the love of people, her Appalachian childhood, and her experiences in Israel. Performing at this concert will also be the winner of our Young Soloist Competition along with the Middle School String Ensemble, prepared by Laurie Peckins.
The season concludes on Mother's Day (bring your mothers, your children, your grandmothers, aunts...) with Russian violinist Elina Lev as the soloist. Ms. Lev won First Prize at the prestigious Glazunov International Violin Competition in Paris. Besides her many solo recitals, she has soloed with orchestras throughout Europe, the Unites States and Russia.
The should be breathtaking with such an array of soloists and composers. Look carefully at the programs, listed and you will find favorite composers, such as Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Wagner, woven into this tapestry of Americana. Let's celebrate sixty years of out standing music by the Wellesley Symphony, and fifteen under the leadership of Max Hobart, together!
I'll share my knowledge of this music at my pre-concert talks and hope to see you there. Remember, if you buy a subscription, you receive ONE CONCERT FREE.
Sincerely,
Honorary Board
Denise Bacon
Julia Scott Carey
Laura Carlo
Ron Della Chiesa
Phyllis Curtin
Virginia Eskin
John Finney
Everett (Vic) Firth
John Harbison
Bayla Keyes
Thomas Oboe Lee
Ned Rorem