FIGARO! Concert Finale featured artists

May 03, 2018

MATTHEW CIMINO – Tenor
Don Curzio

Matthew Cimino was last seen with the Norwalk Symphony as the smuggler Remendado in their production of Carmen. Other performing credits have included Oronte in Alcina, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Sivigla and Pedrillo in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (HillHouse Opera) as well Ralph Rackstraw in The Sorcerer, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado and Alfred in Die Fledermaus (Trouper’s Light Opera). In addition to performing, Matthew is the assistant director of Liturgical Choir at Sacred Heart University, adjunct professor of voice at Southern Connecticut State University and a private piano teacher. He holds a Master's of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut as well as a Bachelor’s in voice from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
 

MICHAEL COSTANTINO – Bass-Baritone
Antonio

A well-known bass-baritone in Connecticut, Michael Costantino’s singing spans a wide range of styles and roles. He is equally adroit across the many operatic roles he has performed (Papageno to Pasquale to Tonio), his musical theater favorites (Lord Chancellor to Lancelot to Jesus), American song (Ives to Rorem to Hoiby), and jazz... and crafts solo recitals that mix them all up. Festooned with a liberal wit, a high metabolism, and a Type A streak, the stage is a natural outlet for his ridiculousness. Costantino also arranges, conducts, composes, acts, directs, teaches, does voice-overs, and is a digital recording engineer, all the while holding down a career as a User Experience Architect for Warner Music Group. His undergraduate degrees are in Music and Astrophysics from Williams College, where he also received a fellowship for creative work, and his graduate degrees are in Voice and Conducting from the University of Michigan. He is married, still plays ultimate frisbee, and enjoys backpacking with his son.
 

ABIGAIL FISCHER – Alto
Cherubino

Known for her “serenely captivating” operatic presence “and disarming intimacy,” (NY Times), Abigail Fischer has made a vibrant career starring in contemporary operas such as Missy Mazzoli's Song from the Uproar and Du Yun's 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel's Bone, as well as in more classic operas such as the title roles in Carmen and Cenerentola, with companies such as Los Angeles Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Cincinnati Opera. Ms. Fischer has performed as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Rhode Island Symphony and Virginia Symphony. As an early music performer, she has worked with the American Bach Soloists, Rebel Baroque, Early Music New York, Boston Baroque and Mercury Houston. In 2017 she made her Italian stage debut in Bolzano, Italy in Toshio Hosakawa's The Raven, a setting of the Edgar Allan Poe text. She has sung the title role in Britten's Rape of Lucretia with Opera Memphis, Testo in Monteverdi's Il Combattimento with Gotham Chamber Opera, and premiered Lee Hoiby's This is the Rill Speaking with American Opera Projects. Originally trained as a cellist, Ms. Fischer has worked often as a vocal chamber musician, from the Marlboro Music Festival and Chamber Music Northwest, to St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble. She has premiered Elliott Carter's Mad Regales and Bernard Rands' Walcott Songs at the Tanglewood Music Festival, numerous John Zorn chamber works all over the world including the Lincoln Center Festival, and Nico Muhly's Elements of Style, also at Lincoln Center. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (MM), Vassar College (BA) and Lorenzo di Medici in Florence, Italy.
 

SPENCER HAMLIN – Tenor
Basilio

Spencer Hamlin has been praised by Opera News for his “dazzling Italianate voice” and “scintillatingly smooth leggiero tenor” after performances of Tonio in La Fille du Régiment and Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance series. This summer, Hamlin returned to Prelude, singing Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi. Hamlin recently made his New York City Opera debut as Detective Thibodeau in the New York premiere of Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne. After hearing Hamlin as Nemorino in UConn Opera Theater’s production of L’Elisir d’Amore in February 2015, the Pulitzer Prize winning former Washington Post music critic Tim Page wrote: “Spencer Hamlin has a sweetly lyrical high tenor voice, which he deploys with immaculate taste, and his acting is communicative and persuasive.” Hamlin received his masters degree from the University of Connecticut where he studied under Dr. Constance Rock. Other roles have included Ernesto in Don Pasquale, The Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Almaviva in Il barbieri di Siviglia, the title role in Albert Herring, Henrik in A Little Night Music, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Judge Danforth in The Crucible, Laurie in Little Women, and Percy Grainger in the U.S. Premier of Justin Dello Joio’s Blue Mountain. Hamlin has performed with New York City Opera, Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance series, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Hartford Opera Theater, Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theater, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra, and various ensembles at the University of Connecticut.

MARY PETRO NOONAN – Soprano
Marcellina

Mary Petro Noonan received a Bachelor of Music from DePaul University and a Master of Music from Yale University. Mary made her Houston Grand Opera debut in the world premiere of Harvey Milk. Other 20th Century roles include Female Chorus in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia and Miriam in Lee Hoiby’s The Scarf. A versatile and curious artist, Mary expanded her repertoire to include Iolanta in Tchiakovsky’s Iolanta, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin as well as Yum Yum in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado. She has been seen by New York audiences as Mimi in La Bohéme, Margarita/Helen of Troy in Mephistofele, Micaela in Carmen, Desdemona in Otello, Georgetta in Il Tabarro, Nedda in Pagliacci and the title roles in Tosca, Suor Angelica and Dona Flor. She has appeared in concert at Alice Tully Hall with the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation and made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Pamina in The Magic Flute with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. For international audiences, Mary has sung Pamina for the Rome Festival Opera, Margarita in Mephistofele in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Mimi in Castres, France. As an orchestral soloist, she has performed Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Garden State Philharmonic in NJ and the Chappaqua Orchestra, and Barber’s Andromache’s Farewell and Mercedes in Carmen with Norwalk Symphony in CT. Mary is a winner of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions and The Bel Canto Foundation Competition. She has spent the past 10 seasons in the extra chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and traveled with their tour to Tokyo, Japan. Mary recently returned from Cornwall, England where she served a week-long residency as guest soloist at Truro Cathedral. She has performed similar residencies at cathedrals in Chester and Norwich.
 

ALEXANDER PATRIE –Bass
Bartolo

Alexander Patrie has played many roles both on stage behind the conducting podium. Patrie is the Music Director (K-8) at St. Aloysius School in New Canaan. He is also the bass section leader/cantor for the Chancel Choir at St. Peter Church in Danbury, CT. Patrie has also held many lead operatic roles including Frank Maurrant (Street Scene), Sarastro (Die Zauberflote), and Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro). Since graduating from Western Connecticut State University, Patrie has held numerous conducting positions with various groups and has performed in a wide variety of spaces in and around the state. He is also an actively performing soloist, having performed with the Hartford, Waterbury, and Danbury Symphony Orchestras. Patrie is an avid collector of scores and is currently in the process of creating the Truth Memorial Music Library in New Canaan, CT.
 

COLIN RAMSEY - Bass
Figaro

Since making his operatic debut as Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Colin’s “majestic, orotund, ravishing bass” (Opera Today) has been heard in repertoire spanning continents and centuries. The 2016-17 season finds him making his company debut at Opera San Jose as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. He continues his residence in San Jose reprising Colline in La Bohème and Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He will also make his role debut as Father Palmer in the West Coast Premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Pulitzer-prizewinning Silent Night. 2016-17 will also feature several concert debuts including the Verdi Requiem with the La Jolla Symphony, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the Berkeley Community Chorus and Symphony. Colin’s past performances have brought him to the stages of Seattle Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Wolf Trap Opera, Austin Opera, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has been featured as Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Mr. Kofner in Menotti’s The Consul, Il Frate in Verdi’s Don Carlo, Angelotti in Tosca, the Sprecher in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Giorgio in the US Premiere of Paisiello’s rarely performed Nina, and as a “sonorous” (Classical King Seattle) Cadmus and Somnus in Handel’s Semele. Colin also continues to make strides in the Symphonic world. The St. Paul Pioneer Press said of Colin’s Messiah performance: “At the other end of the sonic spectrum was bass Colin Ramsey, who had tremendous power and clarity in his lowest notes, making “Why do the nations so furiously rage” into the kind of attention-grabbing interlude that Handel likely intended”. His concert repertoire also includes Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, and the Bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, the Fauré Requiem, Beethoven Choral Fantasy and the Brahms Requiem. He is a winner of the Pasadena Opera Guild Competition, 3rd Prize winner in the Rocky Mountain Region of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and an Encouragement Award winner in the George London Foundation Competition. Colin has been trained at numerous young artist programs including those of Des Moines Metro Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and the Crested Butte Music Festival performing and understudying a number of roles and working with leading professionals in the classical field. He is an Alumnus of The Manhattan School of Music where he attended as a Presidential Scholar and Theodore Presser Foundation scholar. Upon graduating, he was honored by the Hugh Ross Award, given annually to a “singer of unusual promise.” Born New York City, Colin currently makes his residence in San Jose, CA.
 

TREVOR SCHEUNEMANN – Baritone
Count

Praised by Opera News for his “lovely timbre”, and “dramatic timing”, as well as the Washington Post for his “rich and gleaming” voice, Trevor Scheunemann quickly established himself as one of opera’s leading baritones. This season, Scheunemann performs Enrico in Lucia di Lamermoor with Florida Grand Opera and Ned Keene and Peter Grimes in a return to L’Opéra de Monte Carlo; sings Guglielmo in a concert performance of Così fan tutte, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Charlottesville Opera and Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and Händel’s Messiah with National Philharmonic and Britten’s War Requiem with Lehigh University; and returns to The Metropolitan Opera for Le Nozze di Figaro. Scheunemann is in demand at revered houses around the world for his thoughtful, original portrayals of opera’s leading baritones. Highlights of his resume include performances as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Théâtre du Capitol de Toulouse, Washington National Opera, and Teatro Municipal Santiago; Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, and Opéra National de Bordeaux; Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Oper Frankfurt and Washington National Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni with L’Opéra de Monte Carlo; Escamillo in Carmen with Ópera de Puerto Rico; and Marcello in La Bohème at Atlanta Opera and Washington National Opera. After joining the roster of The Metropolitan Opera as Curio in Giulio Cesare, Scheunemann enjoyed several return engagements including a new production of Un Ballo in Maschera under Fabio Luisi, which was also broadcast as part of the Metropolitan Live in HD series; Morales in the new production of Carmen conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Schaunard in La Bohème; a new production of Guillaume Tell; and Sid in La Fanciulla del West. Additionally, he headlined The Met’s Rising Stars Tour in concert across the United States. In recent seasons, he made his San Francisco Opera début as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West conducted by Nicola Luisotti; appeared at L’Opéra de Monte Carlo as Donner in Das Rheingold; performed Rameau’s Dardanus with Emmanuelle Haïm at Opéra de Lille; and joined the Glyndebourne Festival as Mercurio in L’Incoronazione di Poppea conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, in Graham Vick’s Eugene Onegin under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski, and as Melot in Tristan und Isolde, which was commercially released on CD. Mr. Scheunemann is also a champion of new and contemporary works. He originated roles in several productions including: Joe in Christopher Theofanidis’s Heart of a Soldier, inspired by the events of 9/11 and under the direction of Francesca Zambello at San Francisco Opera; der Graf F in René Koering’s adaptation of Heinrich von Kleist’s novella Der Marquise von O with L’Opéra de Monte Carlo; as well as Sgt. Marcum in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s An American Soldier and Gary Tate in Douglas Pew and Dara Weinberg’s Penny, both as part of the American Opera Initiative at Washington National Opera. A seasoned concert artist, Scheunemann possesses a diverse repertoire of oratorio and recital work. Favorite engagements include Carmina Burana under the baton of Kent Nagano with the Montreal Symphony; Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, Britten’s Cantata Misericordium, and Purcell’s Come, Ye Sons of Art with The National Symphony; and Copland’s Old American Songs with Kansas City Symphony and Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. Other concert highlights include performances of Händel’s Messiah and the Requiems of Fauré and Mozart. Mr. Scheunemann is a distinguished alumnus of the world-renowned Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera. He was featured in a variety of roles including Schaunard in La Bohème, Masetto in Don Giovanni under the baton of Plácido Domingo, Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Larry Landau in Sophie’s Choice, and a commissioned work by Marvin Hamlisch with Plácido Domingo and Kristin Chenoweth at the Washington National Opera Golden Gala. Awards to Mr. Scheunemann’s credit include the Washington National Opera Artist of the Year, the third-place winner in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, and Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation.
 

Katherine Whyte – Soprano
Countess

Katherine Whyte has performed on opera and concert stages across her native Canada, the United States and Europe. Opera Today has hailed her for her “keen artistic sensibility” while the San Francisco Classical Voice has praised her “her glamorous, vibrato-rich voice”. Last season included her debut with the Dallas Opera as Pousette in Manon, a return to the Metropolitan Opera Company for their production of Rigoletto, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Saratoga, and concerts with the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of China’s National Opera at the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival. The 2016-2017 season included her return to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Jenufa and Rigoletto, a debut with the Edmonton Symphony for Handel’s Messiah, Fauré’s Requiem with Manhattan Concert Productions at Carnegie Hall, and her debut with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra in China. This season sees her return to the Metropolitan Opera for Parsifal as well as appearing in concert with the Mountain View International Festival of Song in Calgary, Alberta. Ms. Whyte’s 2014-2015 season included returns to the Metropolitan Opera Company as Brigitta in Iolanta and Canadian Opera Company as Iris in Semele at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Additionally, she was a recitalist with the Rising Star Recital series with the Metropolitan Opera Company and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional in Beethoven's 9th Symphony, sang the Countess in the Princeton Festival’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, and gave a concert at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing to celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and China. Her performances during the 2013-14 season included her Vancouver Opera debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Houston Symphony, Carmina Burana with the National Chorale, Mozart’s Requiem with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and Handel’s Messiah with the New Choral Society. Ms. Whyte made her debut with Canadian Opera Company in the 2011-2012 Season in the title role of Iphigénie en Tauride and returned the same season as Iris in Semele. Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 in Strauss’ Die ägyptische Helena, she has returned to the company for productions of The Gambler, The Enchanted Island, Two Boys, and Parsifal. Her other recent operatic appearances include Gilda in Rigoletto with English National Opera, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera and Opera Hamilton, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Michigan Opera Theatre, Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Atlanta Opera, and Iphis in Handel’s Jephta with Opéra National de Bordeaux. Ms. Whyte’s appearances on the concert stage include Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Houston Symphony, Neilsen’s Symphony No. 3 with the San Francisco Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the National Chorale and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Vancouver Symphony, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Colorado Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra. The winner of the 2007 Alice Tully Recital Competition, Ms. Whyte made her Carnegie Hall debut in solo recital at Weill Hall in 2008.
 

CHRISTINE TAYLOR PRICE – Soprano
Susanna

Soprano Christine Taylor Price, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is currently in the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies (ADOS) program of the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts at the Juilliard School, where she also earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance in 2016. ADOS is an intensive two-year advanced studies program for highly gifted and experienced singers at the post-Master’s level, led by mentor and lead teacher Stephen Wadsworth. In 2017, Ms. Price was the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall conducted by Edward Gardner of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norway. She was featured in the NYFOS sponsored ‘Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Star’ production and at Merkin Concert Hall, with Steven Blier accompanying. This past spring, Ms. Price was live-streamed in a Master Class at Juilliard with Emmanuel Villaume. In April, she sang Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at Opera in Williamsburg, Jorge Parodi conducting. She was a 2017 Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and made a role debut as the Governess in The Turn of the Screw at Opera Columbus, directed by Stephen Wadsworth. Christine was also a soloist in the live-streamed master class with Metropolitan Opera Maestro Fabio Luisi at Juilliard. Ms. Price performed the title role of Pamina in Juilliard’s production of Die Zauberflöte, conducted by David Stern and directed by Mary Birnbaum. In May 2016, she proudly made her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the Cecelia Chorus of New York, Mark Shapiro conducting. She also sang Bastienne in Bastien und Bastienne at the San Diego Mainly Mozart Festival with the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Michael Francis, conductor. In 2015-16, Ms. Price was soprano soloist in Bach’s Magnificat as part of the Music Before 1800 series, accompanied by the Juilliard 415 Orchestra, conducted by Richard Egarr. Additional credits include soloist in Music Sacra’s Songs of the Divine: a capella Masterworks including the Deutsche Motette under the baton of Maestro Kent Tritle at St. John The Divine Cathedral, and featured soloist in Joyce Di Donato’s livestreamed master class at the Juilliard School. 2014-2015 accomplishments include Songfest at Alice Tully Hall, curated by the Marcus Institute, accompanied by Juilliard Artistic Director and pianist Brian Zeger, featuring music set to the texts of Charles Baudelaire. Ms. Price sang Lucia in Britten´s The Rape of Lucretia at the Juilliard School, was a featured soloist in Argento’s Six Elizabethan Songs with the New World Symphony, as well as soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concert at Avery Fischer Hall. By special invitation she sang in legendary soprano Renata Scotto’s master class for the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. In summer 2015, Christine was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera performing Lucien in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles and covering the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Christine Taylor Price earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where she sang the title roles in the Manhattan Summer Voice Festival Production of Cavalli’s La Calisto and the Manhattan School of Music Senior Opera production of La Doriclea. In 2012, She made her Alice Tully Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Juilliard pre-college orchestra conducted by Adam Glaser. A graduate of the Juilliard Pre-College Division, she studies voice with Edith Wiens. Previous teachers include Pamela Armstrong, Lorraine Nubar, Ashley Putnam, and Joan Patenaude-Yarnell. Upcoming: Zerlina in Don Giovanni and The Rose in The Little Prince at Tulsa Opera in 2019.
 

LISL WANGERMANN - Soprano
Barbarina

Lisl Wangermann is a first-year student at Yale from Dallas, TX. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and she is now majoring in music. She has previously played Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Lauretta in Gianni Schicci, and Luigia in Viva La Mamma. She has also been in the chorus of Donizetti's Elisir D'Amore, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!  Lisl would like to thank her voice teacher, Janna Baty, and everyone at the NSO, for providing her with this amazing opportunity!

Norwalk Symphony's Holiday Concert “BACH TO POPS” offers choral music, dance, and season favorites

December 09, 2017

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and friends have planned a joyous holiday extravaganza this year. Timed perfectly for a family event – 5 p.m. on Saturday December 16th.

The concert opens with the sound of timpani and trumpets announcing a suite from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The featured chorus is the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut with guest alto soloist Blythe Gaissert. The next part of the program is ballet, with young members of the New England Academy of Dance performing Fauré’s Pavane and Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Snowflakes. The concert concludes with a round of holiday favorites, including Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Lucas Richman’s Hanukkah Medley - and in keeping with an NSO tradition – everyone joining in with the Halleluiah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

The evening marks Music Director Jonathan Yates' sixth season of presenting innovative Holiday programs to the Norwalk area. For three years running, he led the orchestra - and the audience - in a sing along rendition of Handel’s Messiah. Last year for the first time he included dance to the program with a suite from The Nutcracker.

For the Christmas Oratorio, NSO welcomes back The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut under the direction of Carole Ann Maxwell. Audiences will remember their precision singing in the NSO’s 2013 production of Carmen. Blythe Gaissert, the soloist for the Bach suite, has been described by critics as follows: “her voice is strong, supple, almost buttery;” also as “having the voice and the personality to match.”

The concert takes place at the historic Norwalk Concert Hall at 125 East Avenue, where the NSO has performed for over three quarters of a century. Individual tickets, which range from $10 for students to $50 for the best seats can be purchased online or by calling the office at 203 956-6771.

(Not) Just for Kids Music Program: "Celebrate with Horns - Brass!"

November 30, 2017

The Norwalk Symphony presents the second program in its (Not) Just For Kids series on December 8 and 9.  From toots to trumpeting, our Celebrate with Horns - Brass! program is fun for kids and for grown-ups alike. Musicians from the Norwalk Symphony show how animal horns evolved into the brass instruments that now form part of the modern orchestra. Because of their varied sizes and valves, different brasses instruments can produce vastly different sounds and rhythms. Our engaging one-hour show and play program will finish with a brass "petting zoo”. Here, youngsters get to make their own sounds on brass instruments.

The music presented on this program will include excerpts from our Joys of the Season - Bach to Pops main series concert, which is on December 16th at 5 p.m. at Norwalk Concert Hall.

The Norwalk Symphony presents four sessions of Celebrate with Horns - Brass!  The first will be at City Hall Norwalk City Hall on Friday, December 8th at 4:30 p.m. (limited seating call 202 956-6771 to reserve). The next three will be at local libraries on Saturday, December 9th: Norwalk Public Library at 11 a.m,; New Canaan Public Library at 1 p.m.; and Wilton Library at 3 p.m.

Funding for this program is provided by the New Canaan Community Foundation, Ruth Krauss Foundation and donors of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.

(Not) Just For Kids: Free music program "One Big Family – Orchestra!" this weekend

October 24, 2017

The Norwalk Symphony's (Not) Just For Kids series opens its 2017-18 season on Saturday October 28 with One Big Family - Orchestra!  This fun, free program shows how the four instrument families perform together and how each is a unique facet of an orchestra! (Not) Just For Kids demonstrates the range of sounds and how musicians produce notes and tones, that together create a symphony. Music played will include themes from NSO’s upcoming Musical Revolutionaries concert on November 4. The hour-long program ends with youngsters given the chance to try out instruments and make their own music. NSO Executive Director Louis Pietig is enthusiastic: “This is a great way to introduce music from the Norwalk Symphony into the surrounding communities, and reach a new and appreciative audience.”

One Big Family includes Norwalk Symphony Orchestra musicians sharing how, like in human families, the instruments in a particular family are related. They are often made of the same types of materials, look similar, and produce sound in comparable ways. Some are larger and some are smaller, just as parents and children are different sizes with higher and lower voices. Each of the four families (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion) have members with specific traits.

NSO is excited that (Not) Just For Kids will begin a special Afterschool Program at Norwalk City Hall on Friday October 27 at 4pm for students from the Carver Center and Norwalk Housing Authority. If you would like to attend on Friday please call 203 956-6771 as space is limited.

Norwalk Symphony’s (Not) Just For Kids program One Big Family will be Saturday October 28 for the public at three locations: Norwalk Public Library, at 11am; New Canaan Public Library at 1pm, and Wilton Library at 3pm. Funding for this program is provided by the New Canaan Community Foundation, the Ruth Krauss Foundation, and donors of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.

For Immediate Release - Norwalk Symphony Board Welcomes Four New Members

August 16, 2017

For the past 78 years, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and its Board of Directors have been an integral part of the local community. For the 2017-2018 Season, the Board is pleased to welcome four new members to its ranks. “We now have 21 members, all of whom play an active role” said Chris Bell, Board President. “We are thrilled to have these four new members join us, and we look to expand our ranks even further in the coming years.”

Chris McCormack is no stranger to the Norwalk Symphony, having played in the viola section since 1981. He is also President of the Housatonic Community College Foundation. His regular “day job” is in environmental law and litigation with Pullman and Comley. Chris holds a BA in Music from Yale, an MA in Musicology from the Eastman School of Music, and a JD degree from Fordham School of Law.

Georgia von Schmidt is actually a returning member of the Board, having previously served from 2005 to 2008. Georgia grew up in Norwalk and played with the Norwalk Youth Symphony before attending Wayne State University. Her JD degree is from New York Law School and her Darien-based practice specializes in wills and estates, as well as in family, small business, and real estate law. Georgia served on the Darien Zoning Board of Appeals for 20 years.

Eva Toft is also a returning NSO Board member, having chaired the Special Events Committee in years past. She is a licensed real estate broker, an interior design consultant and an Adjunct Lecturer in the home design business at Fairfield University. Eva majored in International Business and French at the University of Uppsala in Sweden and has studied at the New York School of Interior Design, Fairfield University, and at Norwalk Community College.

Robert Bourguignon moved to Norwalk from New York in 2008 with his husband, Brandon. They immediately began attending Norwalk Symphony concerts and having long supported the New York Philharmonic, were delighted to find a symphony orchestra here in town. Robert practices law in New York with Troutman Sanders LLP., and Brandon volunteers with the Family Re-Entry/Champions Mentoring Program in Bridgeport. Robert’s love of classical music began when he was ten and acquired the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "Hooked on Classics."

Welcome to all!

Anticipation builds as May 20th Mahler concert approaches

May 11, 2017

On May 20th at 8:00 p.m., the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra presents Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection", with the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut, Amelia Watkins (soprano) and Ann McMahon Quintero (contralto).

Jonathan Yates, conductor of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra since 2011, hasn’t shied away from ambitious undertakings:  two semi-staged opera productions¸ community “Messiah Sing-Alongs,” celebrated soloists, and a number of world premieres. On May 20th, Maestro Yates fulfills a long-held dream - bringing Mahler’s Second Symphony, “Resurrection,” to the Norwalk Concert stage.

This is no small task. The symphony is a long one, even by Mahler standards (about 80 minutes). In addition, it requires massive forces; strings, winds, organ, extended percussion, full brass section, choir, and soprano and alto soloists. To perform this work is to invite comparison with legendary conductors such as Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein, Simon Rattle and, of course, Mahler himself.

Why this symphony? And why now? According to Yates, “Mahler's Second is the ultimate epic concert experience. It contains some of the most glorious music ever written. I can think of no other work that is more uplifting. Because of its size, this performance may be the only chance many people will have to hear it live!”

“This will be my first time conducting the work.” Yates continued. “It’s is hard to express my sheer excitement when I first heard it live. It was in Worcester, MA, with Ben Zander and the Boston Philharmonic. I literally thought the angels on the proscenium arch were going to fly out into the audience. That is the kind of excitement we're aspiring to create for the audience in this once-in-a-lifetime event!”

“We are very excited about the production. For the choral finale, we have recruited the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut (Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell, Music Director). Audiences here will remember how the choir helped bring 19th century Spain magically alive in our 2014 production of Carmen.”

“We also have two dream soloists. Ann McMahon Quintero, our alto, is praised for her operatic interpretations as ‘loving and sensitive, fierce and provocative, raw but generous’. She is also noted for performing in choral works of deep import. Ann has literally toured the world in “Defiant Requiem” a multi-media realization of the Verdi masterpiece, which celebrates its performance by the Terezín concentration camp inmates in the face of horrible Nazi oppression. Beethoven’s Ninth is also one of her specialties. This will be Ann’s first performance in Mahler’s Second, but I expect it to become a staple of her repertoire.”

“For the soprano part we are lucky to have Amelia Watkins, no stranger to the Norwalk Symphony stage. Last year, Amelia was our Musetta in La Bohème, and she has been our soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah several seasons running (also Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate and Faure’s Requiem). Amelia’s repertoire runs from Baroque to bel canto to contemporary, but she also is no stranger to Mahler Second, having performed it at the National Arts Center in her home town of Ottawa, Canada.”

Jonathan Yates discusses Mahler Symphony No. 2 on WSHU

May 11, 2017

Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jonathan Yates recently dropped in to WSHU studios for an interview with Kate Remington. Click here to listen to them discuss the upcoming Season Finale on May 20th, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection".

Easton obosit wins Norwalk Symphony Concerto Competition

February 28, 2017

Kate Wegener was recently named the winner of the 2017 Concerto Competition at the Norwalk Symphony's fifth annual Young Artists Festival. She will be featured on the March 12 concert performing her competition piece, Mozart's Oboe Concerto in C major, with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.  Read more.

Norwalk Symphony Orchestra welcomes new Board members

April 20, 2016

NORWALK, Conn. -- The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is welcoming Vanessa Smith Morest of Norwalk Community College to its board of directors. Read more.

Stratford teen violinist wins Concerto Competition in Norwalk

February 08, 2016

STRATFORD, Conn. -- The Norwalk Concert Hall this past weekend was the scene of the Fourth Annual Young Artist Festival, hosted by the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. More than 50 young musicians ages 4-17 participated in the weekend-long event. Read more.

Jazzing it up at the Carver Center

November 23, 2015

The gymnasium at the Carver Community Center was transformed into a mini-concert hall on Saturday when a woodwind quartet from Norwalk Symphony Orchestra introduced a contingent of more than 20 children to the joys of classical music. Read more.

Music Director Jonathan Yates on Meet The Leaders

October 29, 2015

Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jonathan Yates was recently featured on Cablevision's Meet The Leaders. Enjoy this video interview featuring insight into the symphony's upcoming 76th season and a discussion on how the Norwalk Symphony is working to connect kids to the orchestra.

Norwalk Symphony presents a Tchaikovsky extravaganza

October 14, 2015

Saturday, October 17th, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra will present an all-Tchaikovsky program, including the Violin Concerto with soloist Jennifer Frautschi. Kate Remington talked with conductor Jonathan Yates about what makes Tchaikovsky's music so enduringly popular.  Read more.

Norwalk Symphony Orchestra announces upcoming Tchaikovsky Festival

October 14, 2015

While the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has often been referred to as Norwalk's "hidden gem," NSO board President Christopher Bell is hoping to change that perception. Read more.

Symphony ushers out 75th year with premiere

May 13, 2015

It will be an evening of new works and old favorites when the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra presents the final concert in its 75th season this weekend. Read More.

Norwalk Symphony sets Family Concert, food drive over weekend

March 05, 2015

The Norwalk Symphony has new events coming up including a family concert on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m., linked to a weekend food drive.

The Symphony plans on going into space with the Norwalk Youth Symphony in a side-by-side presentation of interstellar symphonic standards. Read more.

Trumbull students participate in symphony festival Feb. 7 and 8

February 09, 2015

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra will host its third Young Artists’ Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7 and 8, at the Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Ave., in Norwalk. This day-long festival is open to string students of all levels who have at least two years of study and have not yet graduated high school. The festival offers four different levels which serve to encourage and recognize the talented young musicians in Fairfield County. Read more.

Symphony presents Messiah Sing-Along

November 29, 2014

NORWALK HOUR -- In pursuing one of its goals to fully engage the local community, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has added a participatory component to a traditional holiday favorite. At NSO's second annual Messiah Sing-Along and Holiday Extravaganza, Norwalk Concert Hall will be filled with not only the sounds of the Symphony's classical musicians, but also the voices of joyful audience members. Read More.

Norwalk Symphony marks milestone season with Midori

October 21, 2014

CT Post - With the sweep of his baton this weekend, Jonathan Yates, and the orchestra he leads, will usher in 75 years of music, with a program that features a superstar playing Schumann, the music of a Connecticut-grown composer, and a nod to one of classical music's most iconic figures. Read more.

Norwalk Symphony’s 75th Celebration

October 20, 2014

The Norwalk Symphony is marking its’ 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday October 25 with a performance by the world-renowned violinist Midori who will join the Norwalk Symphony for its opening concert at the Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT. Read More.

Symphony kicks off its 75th Season

October 06, 2014

By LESLIE LAKE - Hour Staff Writer

NORWALK -- As The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra (NSO) approaches its 75th anniversary this year, the Symphony has not only survived in a climate in which funding for the arts has fallen off, but is thriving with record breaking ticket sales and sold-out performances. Read more.

Symphony caps off 74th Season with Carmen

May 7, 2014

By LESLIE LAKE - Hour Staff Writer

NORWALK -- The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will be closing out its 74th season in an interactive collaboration with the Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut, and the Fairfield Children's Choir in a performance of the concert version of the 1875 opera Carmen. Read more.