October 23rd, 2020
Mankato, MN — The Mankato Symphony will launch its Music on the Hill series on Sunday, November 1st, 2:15pm as a virtual event. Watch the virtual Music on the Hill concert free of charge on the symphony’s website MankatoSymphony.org, on its YouTube channel, or on Mankato Symphony’s Facebook page.
The concert, titled Big Sky, features the unbridled joy of classical works by Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn, along with contemporary chamber works by French composer Nadia Boulanger and American composer Joan Tower. The title for the program, Big Sky, is also the title of the piece by Joan Tower. According to Joan Tower, Big Sky is based on a memory of riding her racehorse, Aymara, around the deep valley of La Paz, Bolivia. The composer recalls the valley as being “surrounded by huge and high mountains of the Andes” mountain range and as she rode, she “looked into a vast and enormous sky. It was very peaceful and extraordinarily beautiful. We never went over one of these mountains, but if we had, it might have felt like what I wrote in this piece.”
Richard Belcher, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra cellist and Music on the Hill Artistic Director, performs on cello. Minnesota Orchestra violinist Cecilia Belcher and Mankato Symphony Executive Director and pianist Bethel Balge will join Richard for an afternoon of energizing music.
The Mankato Symphony is celebrating 70 years of sharing music with the communities of South-Central Minnesota. The celebrations surrounding its 70th birthday will continue with virtual concerts until conditions allow for live events. Executive Director Bethel Balge states, “We remain dedicated to our mission of creating emotion-packed, high-quality performances even during these challenging times.”
For more information, including the latest updates on concerts, visit MankatoSymphony.org.