January 25-26
AWAKENING
Saturday | 1.26.19 | 8:00 PM
The Chelsea Symphony presents Sibelius' Second Symphony for its first concert series in the new year. Of the symphony, the composer said, "my second symphony is a confession of the soul." Premiered in 1902, this symphony was composed during the first of two periods of oppression known as the "Russification of Finland." During a time when a series of provisions were implemented designed to suppress any sense of Finnish cultural identity, this work was the first major composition following his triumphant Finlandia. Though the extent of patriotic intent of this Second Symphony is debated, it nevertheless solidified the composer's position as a national hero.
Also on this concert series are TCS featured soloists: Béa Naumann is featured on the lush Adagio movement of Bach's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Minor and flautist Kim Lewis performs the Frank Martin Ballade on Friday's concert. Saturday's concert welcomes back Sarah Koop McCoy to the stage performing Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto. Both performances open with the world premiere of Four Miniatures for a Dark Age by TCS composer-in-residence Aaron Dai.
Concerts will be held at St. Paul's German Lutheran Church, 315 West 22nd Street.
Tickets for reserved unassigned seating in a premium area are on sale at Eventbrite!
Tickets also available at the door for a suggested donation of $20.
**This concert is free for federal workers and their families.**
Program
Four Miniatures for a Dark Age
(World Premiere)
Featured Artists
Clarinetist Sarah Koop McCoy is an active performer and educator in New York City, making regular appearances with The Chelsea Symphony, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, Camerata Notturna, One World Symphony, the Alpha Omega Ensemble, and more - with recent performances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, Merkin Hall, and the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Sarah has also appeared as a featured clarinetist on the Emmy Award-winning Amazon Original series Mozart in the Jungle. A recent alumna …
Kim Lewis is a New York-based flutist with immense passion as a performer and teacher. Informed by a rounded education in the arts throughout her childhood in Ohio, including study in dance, voice, and piano, she brings a wealth of experiences to her focus on the flute. As a soloist, Kim has received first place in the 2017 New Jersey Flute Society Concerto Competition, as well as the 2014 Central Ohio Flute Association Competition - Collegiate Division. She was also …
Béa Naumann picked up the violin when she was nine years old. Eighteen years later, she continues to pursue and hone this craft. She has performed with multiple symphonies and operas over the course of her professional music career, including The Amsterdam Opera, The Chelsea Symphony, Montclair State University Orchestra, Garden State Opera, and the Surflight Theatre Orchestra. Béa is a graduate of the John J. Cali School of Music of Montclair State University, where she received her Bachelors of …
A graduate of Columbia University and the Mannes School of Music, Aaron Dai began studying piano at the age of five and went on to win the UNICEF Youth Concerts Competition three times by the age of fifteen. As a soloist and collaborative pianist, he has performed around the country and abroad, in New York venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Symphony Space, and The Town Hall, and cities including Dublin, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and San Francisco. …
Conductor
A leader in the 21st century orchestral landscape, Dr. Matthew Aubin is constantly reaching new audiences through innovative performance formats and creative initiatives both on and off the podium.
The 2022-23 season kicks off Dr. Aubin’s inaugural year as Music Director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he is Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and serves as Artistic Director of The Chelsea Symphony. In his role at TCS, he has led highly visible collaborations with partners such …
Active as a conductor, violinist, violist, pianist, and educator, Nell Flanders brings her dynamic musicality to performances in a wide variety of genres, from orchestral classics to contemporary music, tango, blues, and period instrument baroque. Ms. Flanders is currently the Director of Orchestral Activities at Idaho State University, where she leads the Idaho State-Civic Symphony and the ISU University Chamber Orchestra. From 2018-2021 she held the position of Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, conducting …