Vignettes
What’s this program about?
Vignettes is made up of pieces that each explore a theme or image. Taking music from the baroque era where each movement was designed to explore the nuances of a single theme, to the songlike qualities of Romantics, to the imagery of today’s composers, this program brings the audience inside the thought behind the music. A woman hawking her wares, a starry night, the nuances of grief, a celtic fiddle, a German hymn, and a rain song all feature as inspiration for the pieces included on this program. Join us to explore the ways these ideas have been transformed into sound.
The Music
Reena Esmail (India/USA) - Darshan
Mai Ohtani (Japan) - Face up
Angelica Negron (Puerto Rico) - A Través del Manto Luminoso
Johannes Brahms (Germany) - Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major
Come Ready to
Explore the imagery behind the music, depict your own version of what you hear, and experience classical music from around the world.
Musicians
Peter Paetkau - Violin
Esther Ning Yao - Piano
*Concert will last approx. 1 hour
Holiday Pops
Our Holiday Pops Concert returns as a beloved family favorite, featuring the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus under the joyful direction of Brittany Betts. This festive celebration brings seasonal magic through multiple performances filled with warmth and cheer. The program sparkles with Leroy Anderson's joyful Christmas Festivaland a gorgeous arrangement of the timeless Greensleeves. Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Selections transport audiences through the enchanted world of Clara and her Prince with favorites including the spirited Trepak, elegant Waltz of the Flowers, and charming character dances. The concert celebrates the Festival of Lights with both Custer's grand Chanukah Festival in full orchestra splendor and Holcomb's Festive Sounds of Hannukah. Broadway magic shines through John Higgins' delightful Christmas on Broadwayarrangement, while Sebesky's playful Christmas Scherzo and Pinkzebra's tender Winter Lullaby add moments of whimsy and reflection. The program also features John Rutter's exquisite choral work What Sweeter Music and the jubilant Rejoice! How Great Our Joy. The concert concludes with a joyous sing-along that brings the entire audience together in the spirit of the season — a perfect way to celebrate the holidays with your community!
Holiday Pops
Our Holiday Pops Concert returns as a beloved family favorite, featuring the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus under the joyful direction of Brittany Betts. This festive celebration brings seasonal magic through multiple performances filled with warmth and cheer. The program sparkles with Leroy Anderson's joyful Christmas Festivaland a gorgeous arrangement of the timeless Greensleeves. Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Selections transport audiences through the enchanted world of Clara and her Prince with favorites including the spirited Trepak, elegant Waltz of the Flowers, and charming character dances. The concert celebrates the Festival of Lights with both Custer's grand Chanukah Festival in full orchestra splendor and Holcomb's Festive Sounds of Hannukah. Broadway magic shines through John Higgins' delightful Christmas on Broadwayarrangement, while Sebesky's playful Christmas Scherzo and Pinkzebra's tender Winter Lullaby add moments of whimsy and reflection. The program also features John Rutter's exquisite choral work What Sweeter Music and the jubilant Rejoice! How Great Our Joy. The concert concludes with a joyous sing-along that brings the entire audience together in the spirit of the season — a perfect way to celebrate the holidays with your community!
Holiday Pops
Our Holiday Pops Concert returns as a beloved family favorite, featuring the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus under the joyful direction of Brittany Betts. This festive celebration brings seasonal magic through multiple performances filled with warmth and cheer. The program sparkles with Leroy Anderson's joyful Christmas Festivaland a gorgeous arrangement of the timeless Greensleeves. Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Selections transport audiences through the enchanted world of Clara and her Prince with favorites including the spirited Trepak, elegant Waltz of the Flowers, and charming character dances. The concert celebrates the Festival of Lights with both Custer's grand Chanukah Festival in full orchestra splendor and Holcomb's Festive Sounds of Hannukah. Broadway magic shines through John Higgins' delightful Christmas on Broadwayarrangement, while Sebesky's playful Christmas Scherzo and Pinkzebra's tender Winter Lullaby add moments of whimsy and reflection. The program also features John Rutter's exquisite choral work What Sweeter Music and the jubilant Rejoice! How Great Our Joy. The concert concludes with a joyous sing-along that brings the entire audience together in the spirit of the season — a perfect way to celebrate the holidays with your community!
A Christmas Journey Through the Centuries
Holiday music culminating in J.S. Bach's Magnificat, with orchestra and soloists.
A Christmas Journey Through the Centuries
Holiday music culminating in J.S. Bach's Magnificat, with orchestra and soloists.
Impressions
Impressions features pieces that can be connected to a style of art that either influenced the piece directly or was heavily prominent in the region where it was created at the time it was written. Caroline Shaw talks about how she was inspired to write this piece after listening to the different “colors” of a Haydn quartet and her mission to take that idea even further into the technicolor. Rini aims to call attention to the importance of traditional art and its influence on how we live. There is an easy connection that can be made between her piece and the Javanese batik style. Ravel rejected the idea of being an impressionist but so did the painters of his time. At the end of the day, it is clear to see how music and visual arts influenced each other.
Vignettes
Vignettes is made up of pieces that each explore a theme or image. Taking music from the baroque era where each movement was designed to explore the nuances of a single theme, to the songlike qualities of Romantics, to the imagery of today’s composers, this program brings the audience inside the thought behind the music. A woman hawking her wares, a starry night, the nuances of grief, a celtic fiddle, a German hymn, and a rain song all feature as inspiration for the pieces included on this program. Join us to explore the ways these ideas have been transformed into sound.
75th Fantastique! - Cape Ann Symphony
Cape Ann Symphony 75th Fantastique! — a breathtaking French masterworks program that launches our historic season in spectacular style. Experience Lili Boulanger's shimmering D'un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning), a luminous impressionistic gem by one of the first women to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Debussy's evocative three-movement seascape La Mer follows, painting the ocean from dawn to noon, the play of waves, and the dialogue of wind and sea in glorious orchestral color. The program culminates with Berlioz's monumental Symphonie Fantastique — a revolutionary five-movement journey through an artist's obsessive passion, complete with a haunting recurring melody (the idée fixe), a dramatic "March to the Scaffold," and the wild, supernatural "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath." It's one of the most dramatic and imaginative works in the orchestral repertoire and an unforgettable way to celebrate 75 years of musical excellence.
Analog By Choice
Z. Kodaly - Duo for Violin and Cello
A. Kidjo - String Quartet
E. Korngold - Piano Quintet
Du Bois Chamber Players
J.S. Bach - Brandenberg Concertos 3&4
Samuel Coleridge Taylor - Clarinet Quintet
University Lutheran Church, Cambridge MA