Austin Symphony: Happy Birthday, by George
$29-$104
George Gershwin — Piano Concerto in F
Ottorino Respighi — Fontane di Roma ("The Fountains of Rome")
Ottorino Respighi — Pini di Roma ("The Pines of Rome")
Step into a world of elegance and virtuosity as renowned pianist Yifei Xu takes center stage to breathe life into Gershwin's iconic Concerto in F. This piece will sweep you off your feet with its intricate interplay between piano and orchestra. Xu's exquisite artistry promises an evening that will resonate long after the final notes fade. The evening will begin with Gershwin's Lullaby.
After intermission, prepare to be transported to the eternal city as the orchestra delves into Respighi's captivating soundscapes. Fountains of Rome will immerse you in the enchanting ambience of cascading waters, while Pines of Rome paints a vivid sonic picture of the city's majestic landscapes. The orchestra's evocative rendition will evoke a sense of wanderlust and wonder, allowing you to experience Rome's essence through the power of music.
Gather with fellow music aficionados for an evening that promises to elevate your spirit and enrich your cultural palate. Our meticulously curated repertoire, featuring the brilliance of Gershwin and Respighi coupled with Yifei Xu's unparalleled prowess on the piano, guarantees an auditory journey that transcends time and space.
Runs Oct. 20-21.
About Austin Symphony
Founded in 1911, the Austin Symphony Orchestra is Austin’s oldest performing arts group. The ASO offers a complete season of musical and educational programming.
Masterworks Series concerts include eight concert pairs running monthly September through May in the state-of-the-art Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts. Our season also includes the Sarah & Ernest Butler Pops Series, which features 4 concerts running October through June Pops also at the Long Center.
Programming for the entire family includes the Halloween Children’s Concert and the Sounds of the Season, as well as the popular James C. Armstrong Youth Educations Programs, which include ASO Tuneful Tales, Young People’s Concerts, High School Concert Tour, and a variety of other school programs.
https://austinsymphony.org/About Yifei Xu, piano
Pianist Yifei Xu has been described as an “incredibly passionate and logical pianist” and “an amazing demonstration of prodigious skills.” She has participated and performed in the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival New Music Workshop as a fellow, Aspen Music Festival, Bang on a Can, Mostly Modern Festival, Almalfi Coast Piano Festival, and Merkin Concert Hall.
Winner of MMF Concerto Competition, Vivo International Music Competition, she has also received the Roy M. Rubinstein Award, the first prize in The American Prize Professional Solo, and was honored by the Eisenberg/Fired Concerto Competition. Recent career highlights include performing the Rautavaara Piano Concerto No.1 with American Modern Orchestra under the baton of Austin Symphony Orchestra Music Director Peter Bay at Saratoga Springs in June 2022 and performing at Barge Music in New York Brooklyn with cellist Dave Eggar.
Xu specializes in contemporary piano performance and currently performs with the BlackBox Ensemble. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at Manhattan School of Music, and is completing her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at MSM, studying with Dr. Marc Silverman.
https://yifeixu.org/About Peter Bay, conductor
Peter Bay became Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra in 1998. He is also Conductor of the Bravo! Big Sky Classical Festival Orchestra (MT) and Arizona Philharmonic.
Maestro Bay has appeared with more than 80 different orchestras, including the National, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, New Jersey, North Carolina, San Antonio, Tucson, West Virginia, Colorado, Hawaii, Sarasota, Fort Worth, Bochum (Germany), Carinthian (Austria), Lithuanian National, and Ecuador National Symphonies, the Minnesota and Algarve (Portugal) Orchestras, the Louisiana, Buffalo, Arizona, Rhode Island and Boca del Rio (Mexico) Philharmonics, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Eastman (Postcard from Morocco) and Aspen (The Ballad of Baby Doe) Opera Theaters, and the Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center. Summer music festival appearances have included Aspen and Music in the Mountains (CO), Grant Park and Ravinia (IL), Round Top (TX), OK Mozart (OK) and Skaneateles (NY). In June 2018, he led performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass as part of the Bernstein100Austin celebration.
Peter is the primary conductor for Ballet Austin. For Austin Opera, he has conducted "A Streetcar Named Desire," "La Traviata," "Turandot," "The Marriage of Figaro," and "La bohème."
Other positions held by Bay have included Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival (CO), Britt Festival Orchestra (OR), Hot Springs Music Festival (AR), and posts with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony. From 1980 to 1990 he served on the conducting staff of the Aspen Music Festival where he led concerts with four of its orchestras. Bay and the ASO with pianist Anton Nel released a critically acclaimed Bridge CD of Edward Burlingame Hill’s music. With the Richmond Symphony he recorded the US premiere of Britten’s "The Sword in the Stone" for Opus One Records, and with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Voices, featuring the percussion ensemble NEXUS. He is conductor for Christopher Cross’ "Secret Ladder" album and Hanan Townshend’s soundtrack to the 2016 movie "The Vessel."
In 1994, he was one of two conductors selected to participate in the Leonard Bernstein American Conductors Program. He was the first prize winner of the 1980 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Young Conductors Competition and a prize winner of the 1987 Leopold Stokowski Competition sponsored by the American Symphony Orchestra. In July 2012 he appeared in Solo Symphony, a choreographic work created for him by Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks. He was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in May 2016.
https://www.peterbayconductor.com/