The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia continues its 2016-17 season with concerts on Saturday, March 25, 8:00pm, at Old Cabell Hall on the Grounds of the University of Virginia and Sunday, March 26, 3:30pm, at Charlottesville High School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center.  Both performances will be conducted by Cheung Chau, the last of three Music Director finalists selected following Kate Tamarkin’s decision to retire at the end of the current season.

The program, selected by Chau, includes Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor with guest cellist Cicely Parnas, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, known as the “Pathétique” Symphony, and Maurice Ravel’s sultry Boléro, featured in the 1979 film “10” starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore.

Cheung Chau is Director of Orchestral Studies at Utah Valley University, Music Director of Sinfonietta Polonia in Poznań, Poland and Music Director of the Utah Valley Youth Symphony. Previously, he served as Music Director of the Bloomington Symphony in Minnesota, the Central Pennsylvania Symphony and the Manchester Symphony in Connecticut, and held director of orchestra positions at Haverford College and the University of Connecticut.  He has also conducted opera, ballet and symphony orchestras in Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Russia and across the United States.

American cellist Cicely Parnas, praised for her “velvety sound, articulate passagework and keen imagination” (New York Times), performs recitals, concertos and educational outreach programs throughout the country.  Winner of the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, she made her Carnegie Hall debut that year and has since been presented in debuts at Merkin Concert Hall and the Kennedy Center to rave reviews.

The orchestra’s 2016-17 season is supported in part by a major grant from the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

For those who want to “Know the Score,” pre-concert lectures are presented 45 minutes prior to each Saturday night concert.  Free of charge, these popular lectures by UVA McIntire Department of Music Associate Professor Richard Will offer a lively and informative behind-the-scenes look at classical music.

In-depth program notes are posted on the orchestra’s website, www.cvillesymphony.org two weeks prior to each Masterworks concert.

Additional Information 

Free parking is available in the UVA Central Grounds Parking Garage, located on Emmet Street, on Saturday nights and at Charlottesville High School on Sunday afternoons.  The Charlottesville Free Trolley stops at McCormick Road near the UVA Amphitheater, in close proximity to Old Cabell Hall.  Both venues are wheelchair accessible.

Single tickets are priced at $10-$45 for adults and $10 for students.  UVA students may request one complimentary ticket in advance.  Single tickets may be purchased at the University of Virginia Arts Box Office, (434) 924-3376, 12:00-5:00pm, Monday through Friday in the lobby of the Drama Building at 109 Culbreth Road, or online at www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu.

All University of Virginia employees (all faculty and staff of all UVA departments and professional schools) are entitled to a 20% discount on tickets to individual performances.  This offer does not apply to subscriptions or previously purchased tickets.