Category Archives: program notes

PROGRAM NOTES by Jane Rausch As critics have noted, a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 can never be an ordinary event because, with this masterpiece, Beethoven redefined the nature of symphonic ambition and carried to new heights the concept … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch As part of HCS’s 50th anniversary year celebration, today’s concert—“Seeing Double”—suggests that good things often come in pairs. Our program will demonstrate this thesis by featuring two important compositions by Brahms, two virtuoso soloists, and … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch Today’s concert – “A Joyful Sound” – is HCS’ gift to you for the holidays. As part of our 50th anniversary year, we present a program of beloved classical and popular favorites with the added … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch “We’re Golden!” The Holyoke Civic Symphony kicks off its 50th anniversary season with a “People’s Choice Concert.” During the first three concerts of last season orchestra members and patrons were invited to vote for their … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch May Day festivals date from ancient times and many cultures still celebrate May 1 with dances and singing to welcome in spring. Certainly it is an appropriate day for the Holyoke Civic Symphony to present … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch It is not surprising that beautiful and powerful music born out of the great suffering and misery of Russian people over centuries has inspired Russian composers to produce masterworks that convey a sense of “The … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch As the long and busy holiday season drags on, expectant children may come to believe that the actual arrival of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and/or Christmas Day is incredibly “far, far away,” but even farther away in … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch “49 and Counting” As the Holyoke Civic Symphony looks forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary season in 2016-17, Maestro Kidwell has put together four very special concerts to make the orchestra’s 49th season distinctive and … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch Hannah Lynn Cohen, a senior at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Lee, MA, has been playing the violin for almost 14 years. She studies with Wendy Sharp, lecturer and head of chamber music at … Continue reading →

Program Notes by Jane Rausch and Robert Simon “This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.” ~Shakespeare, Richard III We have arrived in England this afternoon on our season’s concert tour around the world. Musically in the early twentieth … Continue reading →