What better way to celebrate our season of returning to the Umstattd Hall stage than a celebration of our fine musicians! Principal Horn Meghan Guegold and Concertmaster Cristian Zimmerman step to the front of the stage to show their skills on celebrated concertos for their instruments. Guegold performs the first horn concerto of Richard Strauss. Known for his tone poems such as Also Sprach Zarathustra (the famous opening of “2001: A Space Odyssey”), Strauss learned about writing for the horn at an early age thanks to his father, a noted 19^th Century virtuoso who performed in the world premieres of several Wagner operas. Zimmerman takes the solo role in Prokofiev’s ethereal first violin concerto.

Two composers make their Masterworks series debuts in this evening’s performance. Molly Leach was our inaugural Composer Fellow with the Canton Youth Symphony Advanced Orchestra in the 21-22 season. Composed to fulfil the fellowship’s commission, Glow takes inspiration from the glistening and glimmering of the natural world throughout the seasons of the year, from a crisp autumn morning to the shimmering of freshly fallen snow and a warm summer sunset. Joseph Bolonge, Chevalier de Saint Georges, was an 18^th Century Renaissance man who was equally at home performing on the concert stage and competing in the fencing ring. His brief but cheerful second symphony opens tonight’s program. Bookending the concert at the other end is Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful Russian Easter Festival Overture, which we perform on the first weekend of Lent as we look forward to Easter and the coming of spring.