Litha Symphony Orchestra: Lost Love
$20
- Sara Pearson, soprano
- Teresa Cheung, conductor
Richard Wagner — Prelude and "Liebestod" from Tristan and Isolde, WWV 90
Sergei Rachmaninoff — Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Drawing inspiration from heartbreak, our 2023 finale will put emotions on center stage for an incredible performance not to miss.
Doors open at 6:30pm, concert begins at 7pm.
About Litha Symphony Orchestra
Through invigorating interpretations from the symphonic literature, as well as arrangements of works realized anew, Litha Symphony Orchestra is committed to bringing the excitement and energy of summer to its audiences and musicians alike.
Litha Symphony Orchestra was founded in early 2012 by a group of musicians who wanted to create an outlet for performing classical orchestral music in the New York metropolitan area during the summer, which is traditionally the off-season for most orchestras. As the full orchestra performs mostly during the summer season, the orchestra decided to use the name "Litha" – the celebration of the summer solstice – as the signature name for the organization.
About Sara Pearson, soprano
Operatic soprano Sara Beth Pearson is known for her dramatic interpretations of great Italian heroines including Puccini’s Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Mimì, and Suor Angelica, Verdi’s Leonoras, both in Il Trovatore and Forza del destino, and Nedda in Pagliacci.
A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, Ms. Pearson has performed extensively with Baltimore Opera, Annapolis Opera, Washington National Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. Last season, she performed the role of Nella in Gianni Schicchi with On Site Opera, and featured a signature aria, Vieni t’affretta, from Verdi’s Macbeth, as the Second Soprano in Terence McNally’s play Master Class at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. She recently appeared with New Rochelle Opera as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus and Magnolia Hawkes in a concert Showboat.
On the concert stage, Ms. Pearson has performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the Adelphi Orchestra, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate with the Bergen Sinfonia, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with The Baltimore Sinfonietta, and Mendelssohn’s Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt Walden and “Hear My Prayer” with the Prince George’s Choral Society. She has also starred in many opera and operetta concerts with orchestras such as the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Bergen Sinfonia, the Annapolis Symphony, Annapolis Choral Society, and Maryland Concert Opera.
https://www.sarabethpearson.com/About Teresa Cheung, conductor
Teresa Cheung is in frequent demand for symphonic, choral, operatic, and balletic productions throughout the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong. Following an acclaimed 13-season tenure as Music Director of Pennsylvania’s Altoona Symphony Orchestra, she has been appointed Resident Conductor of the Endless Mountain Music Festival.
Teresa Cheung’s recent engagements have found her on the podia of the Amarillo, American, Bakersfield, Chappaqua, Mid-Texas, Mobile, New Amsterdam (NYC), Phoenix, Portland, Stamford, Venice, and Western Michigan symphony orchestras, and Evansville, Fort Wayne, and Rochester philharmonic orchestras, Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Brooklyn’s Regina Opera, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Additionally, she often appears as conductor for colleges and universities and with All State/All County orchestra festivals. She has also served as a conducting clinician for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ “Meet the Artist” program.
Widely known for her creative concert programming, collaborative projects and community outreach initiatives, Teresa Cheung is also a passionate advocate for music education for all ages. During her tenure in Altoona, she created numerous outreach programs that engaged area children and high school musicians and choristers ballet companies and civic organizations. Under her leadership, the ASO also performed with university instrumental and choral ensembles from Penn State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Juniata College. Her vision of extending the Alltoona Symphony’s artistry and reputation beyond Central Pennsylvania led to the filming of Dvorák’s New World, an acclaimed joint-project with the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts’ Humanities on the Road program that was broadcast throughout Pennsylvania in December 2011. Another highlight of Ms. Cheung’s novel interdisciplinary projects was the North American premiere of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu on Halloween 2017, reuniting the original symphonic score of Hans Erdmann with the silent film in Berndt Heller’s reconstruction.
Teresa Cheung began her career as Resident Conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, where she was also conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic Chorus. Among her many artistic initiatives, she led the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on its first international concert tour to Japan in 2002. Subsequently, she served as Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor for the Bard Music Festival and SummerScape.
A native of Hong Kong, Teresa Cheung received her Masters Degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music. She is also the recipient of the JoAnn Falletta Conducting Award for the most promising female conductors.
http://www.parkerartists.com/Teresa-Cheung.html