Community Calendar

FSO’s Season 77 opens with a joyful overture by Louise Farrenc, a pioneer woman composer, and
two of the most famous (and rightfully so!) pieces ever composed. Pianist Chaeyoung Park plays
Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto in A minor, and we finish with the single most famous piece of
Classical music—Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony!

Thursday, September 24, 7:30pm

British composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934) composed The Planets between 1914 and 1917. The orchestral suite premiered privately in 1918 and publicly in 1920 and was considered highly innovative at the time. Holst described it as “a series of mood pictures” influenced by astrological and mythological associations with seven planets of the solar system (the dwarf planet Pluto was not discovered until 1930).

The piece was first composed in an arrangement for two pianos and later orchestrated. It was recently arranged for both string and piano quartet performances by David Koerner for Dark Sky Quartet.

FSO celebrates America’s 250th birthday with THREE world premieres by American composers, plus an incredible multidisciplinary performance. Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman precedes a new commission from composer Benjamin Taylor, with aerial photography visuals by Charles Latshaw celebrating northern Arizona’s beautiful landscapes. We celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with two premieres by Nolan Stolz. And we present Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America, which brings together FSO, six Flagstaff-based actors, and a beautiful video presentation of historical photos and documents to celebrate America’s great cultural history of immigration.