MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Contact:
Caroline Nickel
cnickel@modestosymphony.org

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2024

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(Pictured from left to right: Nicholas Hersh, conductor; Audrey Wright, violin; Modesto Symphony Orchestra)

Modesto Symphony Orchestra Reinvents Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Featuring the music of Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, Max Richter, and Gabriela Ortiz

November 1 & 2, 2024 – Modesto Symphony Orchestra performs the works of Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, and more at The Four Seasons Mixtape concerts.
November 2, 2024 – The Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra to perform Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and more in Season Opening Concerts.

MODESTO, CA – The Modesto Symphony Orchestra (MSO) proudly presents The Four Seasons Mixtape led by Music Director Nicholas Hersh this November 1 & 2, 2024 at 7:30 pm at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The evening’s program features music by Mendelssohn, Mexican-composer Gabriela Ortiz, and Hersh’s own “mixtape” interpretation of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons featuring the works by Vivaldi, Richter, Ysaÿe, and Piazzolla featuring violinist, Audrey Wright.

This concert will not have an intermission and will include an afterparty where audience members are invited to join Hersh and the MSO in the Gallo Center for the Arts lobby for refreshments, appetizers, and the opportunity to mingle and celebrate the love of music.

"I've recently been fascinated by the concept of a live orchestral 'mixtape,' just as you might have recorded a tape from the radio, burned a CD, or put together a streaming playlist of different songs to evoke a certain mood or feeling," says Music Director Nicholas Hersh. "Our 'Four Seasons Mixtape' features four voices from different cultures and periods each interpreting their own season with a short selection of music, with Vivaldi's original ‘Summer’ as a perfect jumping-off point for a kaleidoscopic survey of our natural world, all played live by the MSO and our soloist Audrey Wright."

The evening will begin with Mendelssohn’s Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Gabriela Ortiz’s La Calaca for String Orchestra, which has rhythms and melodies inspired by the traditions of Día de los Muertos that celebrate the afterlife in Mexican culture. “The Four Seasons Mixtape” will feature Vivaldi’s L’estate (Summer), Max Richter’s Autumn from The Four Seasons Recomposed, Eugène Ysaÿe’s Chant d’hiver (Wintersong) and Astor Piazzolla’s Primavera porteña (Buenos Aires Spring) performed by guest violinist, Audrey Wright.

Audrey Wright joined the New York Philharmonic in 2022 and is currently the concertmaster for the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. She has previously served as the associate concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Wright has performed across the globe in venues such as Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and the Vatican.

"When we developed the idea for 'Mixtape,' I immediately thought of Audrey for our soloist," continues Hersh. "It's no easy task to move seamlessly from one virtuoso musical style to another, and I knew not just any violinist could take on this crazy idea with us, but I had a feeling Audrey would be game for the challenge. Put something on her stand and she'll play it with confidence, passion, and style—I can't wait to work with her in Modesto!"

This weekend also includes the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) in their 49th Season Opening Concert on November 2, 2024 at 2 pm at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The MSYO comprises of two orchestras with students grades 5 through 12 from schools in the Central Valley and is led by MSYO Music Director Elisha Wells and a deeply engaged leadership team. This concert will be Wells’ first concert as MSYO Music Director and features works by Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and more. Learn more about the MSYO at ModestoSymphony.org/about-msyo.

MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Presents:
The four seasons mixtape

Calendar

Mar 29, 2024

November 1 & 2 / The Four Seasons Mixtape

Mar 29, 2024

Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Audrey Wright, violin

Fri. Nov. 1, 2024 at 7:30pm
Sat. Nov. 2, 2024 at 7:30pm

Mar 29, 2024

Friday, November 1, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 7:30 pm

Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Audrey Wright, violin

Program:
Felix Mendelssohn: Overture from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21
Gabriela Ortiz: La Calaca for String Orchestra
The Four Seasons Mixtape:
Antonio Vivaldi: L'estate, RV315 G minor (Summer)
Max Richter: Autumn from The Four Seasons Recomposed
Eugène Ysaÿe: Chant d'hiver, Op. 15 (Winter)
Astor Piazzolla: Primavera Porteña from Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Spring)

This concert does not have an intermission and will be followed by an afterparty with food and drinks in the Gallo Center for the Arts lobby.

Gallo Center for the Arts, Mary Stuart Rogers Theater
1000 I Street, Modesto

tICKETS

Pricing: Tickets start at $23

Ticketing Information:

Tickets are available online through ModestoSymphony.org or through the Gallo Center for the Arts Ticket Office at (209) 338-2100.

Gallo Center Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am-6:00pm / Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm

Student Tickets available: $15 Student Tickets are available by visiting the Gallo Center Ticket Office with a valid student ID. Students may purchase two $15 tickets per order.

Group Prices available: Groups of 10+ receive a 15% discount on tickets. Call (209) 338-5064 for more information.