The Elkhart County Symphony returns to The Lerner Theatre, Sunday, March 30 at 4 p.m., for a captivating side-by-side concert with the Goshen High School Symphony Orchestra.
Passion and Poetry, March 30 at 4 p.m. at The Lerner Theatre in Downtown Elkhart, is the fourth concert in our 2024-25 season and offers a distinct hometown flavor. The Symphony performs the timeless Poet and Peasant Overture, by von Suppé, and Hanson’s spirited Symphony No. 2/”Romantic.” The Symphony also welcomes a very special guest—the Goshen High School Symphony Orchestra—to perform the lively and playful La Conga del Fuego Nuevo by Arturo Márquez.
March is National Music in Our Schools Month, presented by the National Association for Music Education for over 40 years. Joining that celebratory month, Passion and Poetry aligns with one of the Elkhart County Symphony’s major missions: to support and advocate for ongoing music education in our schools through involvement and participation.
Tickets for Passion and Poetry are available by visiting The Lerner Theatre Box Office at 410 South Main Street, Elkhart, Indiana, or by calling the Box Office at (574) 293-4469. Tickets may also be purchased from The Lerner Theatre website.
The kids can play!
The Goshen Orchestra program, which celebrated its centennial during the 2015-16 school year, began with 13 students in 1915 and had grown to nearly 500 young musicians by 2020. Approximately 15 percent of the Goshen Community Schools student population—from fifth graders to seniors in high school—are currently enrolled in an orchestra.
The Goshen Orchestras have received numerous high honors over the years, including more than twenty first-place middle school orchestra awards at the Music in the Parks festival, and the Goshen High School Symphony Orchestra is a 16-time Indiana State School Music Association State Finalist.
At Passion and Poetry, the young musicians of the Goshen High School Symphony Orchestra perform with the Elkhart County Symphony side-by-side—following the wand of our Conn-Selmer Endowed Musical Director, Dr. Soo Han—for a thrilling and memorable performance of the celebratory La Conga del Fuego Nuevo by beloved Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.
In contrast to Márquez’s winding, sinuous Danzón No. 2, a popular contemporary classical piece performed by the Elkhart County Symphony during previous seasons, La Conga del Fuego Nuevo is a jubilant, uptempo, and bright work buoyed by signature percussive elements and Afro-Cuban conga patterns that excite audiences and often lead to show-stopping moments.
von Suppé’s lasting legacy
The Poet and the Peasant (Dichter und Bauer in original German) is one of Franz von Suppé’s earlier operettas, written by the Croatian-born composer in 1846 when he was 27. As is the case with much of his work, hearing the entire Poet and Peasant operetta live is a rare opportunity. However, the overture is an established classic at pops concerts for bands and orchestras across the globe.
The piece, featuring a breathtakingly romantic cello solo at the beginning, is one of von Suppé’s most popular and enduring works. The overture has also been featured in myriad productions and animated cartoons over the years, including Popeye the Sailor, and it often strikes a familiar and warm chord with modern audiences.
Elkhart County Symphony Principal Cellist Rebecca Yoder, a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University and Director of the Elkhart High School Philharmonic Orchestra, will perform the cello solo at the beginning of Poet and Peasant Overture while accompanied by a solo harp.
Hanson’s “Romantic” masterpiece
A famed American educator and composer, Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2 in D-flat major, Op. 30—a.k.a. Romantic—was written in 1930 on commission from Serge Koussevitzky in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and premiered at the Boston Symphony Orchestra on November 28, 1930.
Arturo Toscanini next played it with the New York Philharmonic, and Hanson then conducted and recorded his work with the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra. Additional conductors of this memorable symphony—which would become Hanson’s best-known work—include Charles Gerhardt, Sir Neville Marriner, Erich Kunzel, Gerard Schwarz, David Montgomery, and Leonard Slatkin.
Hanson described his Symphony No. 2 as “a work young in spirit, Romantic in temperament, and simple and direct in expression.” The piece—widely known for its use in the final scene and end credits of the 1979 Ridley Scott film, Alien—is a perfect choice for our March 30 Passion and Poetry concert, which includes a memorable, community collaboration with the budding, young musicians of the Goshen High School Symphony Orchestra.
Don’t miss another moment, get your tickets for Passion and Poetry today!
ABOUT THE ELKHART COUNTY SYMPHONY
The Elkhart County Symphony Association employs more than 100 professional musicians in the county. The organization promotes cultural experiences and instills civic pride in our community by encouraging artistic integrity, providing innovative opportunities, and presenting excellent musical programming through concerts, education, and special events.