PORTLAND – The Portland Symphony Orchestra will present Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, also known as the “Organ Symphony,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in Merrill Auditorium.

Toshiyuki Shimada will conduct the orchestra and guest organist Ray Cornils will play the Kotzschmar Organ. The “Organ Symphony” is a work that demonstrates the Kotzschmar’s abilities by putting it to the test through quiet movements and a gloriously loud finale.

Also on the program are Gioacchino Rossini’s Overture to William Tell and Ned Rorem’s English Horn Concerto. Rorem is one of today’s most honored composers of symphonic music. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Rorem has written three symphonies, four piano concertos and an array of other orchestral works. The concerto’s featured soloist is the symphony orchestra’s Julianne Verret on English horn.

Prior to the concert, ticket holders are invited to the free concert conversation at 6:15 p.m. Guest speaker Elliott Schwartz, a composer and professor emeritus at Bowdoin College, will discuss the works of the three composers and their approaches to the shape and sound of the music.

The PSO Pops will jump into action with “Swing, Swing, Swing!” on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14. A PSO Youth Concert, for ages 8 to 13, will be performed four times on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 15 and 16. Then, on Friday, Dec. 10, the Portland Symphony Orchestra opens its silver jubilee celebration of the “Magic of Christmas.”

For more info, go online to ww.portlandsymphony.com or call (207) 773-6128.

Tickets may be purchased through PortTix, (207) 842-0800, or at the PortTix box office at 20 Myrtle St. between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tickets range from $15 to $53 for adults, with discounts for students, seniors, children and groups.

Copy the Story Link