Chattanooga Symphony & Opera to Perform SIDE-BY-SIDE Concert, 2/28

Chattanooga, TN - The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO) and the CSO Youth Orchestras (CSOYO) present a unique event, featuring not only two of the youth orchestras in concert (Symphony and Philharmonic), but also the CSO Orchestra and the CSOYO Symphony combined. Giving students the chance to play alongside professional musicians provides invaluable musical education opportunities for the up-and-coming musicians. This event will provide CSOYO students a chance to learn more about their craft by working alongside the CSO musicians on classical masterworks by popular composers such as Rossini and Liszt. Featured in the program are the top two winners of the 2015 CSOYO Concerto Competition, Hannah Eitzen and Sasha Hitachi-Kizziah. Josh Holritz, CSO Associate Concertmaster and CSOYO alumnus, will also be featured.

William Tell Overture and Les Préludes are two of the most well-known (and well-loved) symphonic compositions, played by professional orchestras and youth orchestras alike. William Tell Overture is certainly well-known to the baby boom generation that watched countless episodes of The Lone Ranger, always preceded by the final gallop from Rossini's overture. Other parts of the overture, such as the storm section, will also be familiar to many listeners. Les Préludes is a famous tone poem by Franz Liszt, featuring musical sections alternating with romantic era melodies and noble brass fanfares.

Admission is $15 for adults and $7 for children and students. Tickets are available online and through the CSO Office (423-267-8583), or at the door. Doors open at 2:00pm. Call 423.267.9011 for more information.

Sasha Hitachi-Kizziah, age 12, is currently a seventh grader at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS). She began studying the piano at the age of four. At seven, she learned the recorder, playing with her school's (St. Nicholas) music teacher, Carey Shinbaum. Sasha studied the flute with Dr. Heather Small from the age of nine to twelve. She began studying flute with Kristen Holritz in January 2016, and music theory with Kayoko Dan in the summer of 2015. In 2014, she auditioned for the CSOYO, and became first chair flute for the CSOYO Philharmonic Orchestra. She currently serves as second chair in the CSOYO Symphony Orchestra. Sasha has performed in a master class with Dr. Mary Karen Clardy, participated in a flute clinic with Patricia George, and won second in the Atlanta Flute Club Junior Artist competition. Other accomplishments include performing at the 2013 Mid-South Flute Festival junior showcase/master class in Murfreesboro, TN, and first chair placement in the blue band for All-County Band. She enjoys reading, horseback riding, and playing the harp and piano in her spare time.

Hannah Eitzen, age 17, has been playing tuba for seven years. She is in her fourth season with the CSO Youth Orchestras. She is currently a senior at Soddy Daisy High School where she has been a member of the Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Wind Ensemble. She has performed with the band in the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, and at the National Association for Music Education in Nashville, Tennessee in 2013. Hannah was the Drum Major and Co-Captain for the 2014-2015 Soddy Daisy High School Marching Band, and was the Tuba Section Leader and Co-Captain for the 2015-2016 season. In 2014, she was one of ten students chosen to perform with the United States Navy Band in Memorial Auditorium, and attended the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts. In 2015, Hannah performed at the inaugural Tennessee Bandmasters Association Solo Honors Recital in Memphis, Tennessee. Most recently, she attended the 2015 Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan where she played in the World Youth Wind Symphony. She has participated in the Tennessee All-State East and All-State bands for three years. Hannah currently studies tuba with Mr. David Butler and plans to attend Tennessee Technological University to study music education this fall.

Josh Holritz joined the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera as Associate Concertmaster in 2014. Previously a resident of Chattanooga, Josh was a member of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestra from 1995-2000. In 1999 Josh won the annual CSOYO concerto competition and soloed with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera performing Beethoven's Romance in F major Op. 50. At that time Josh studied with former CSO Associate Concertmaster Mark Reneau. Josh has performed as soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician in Canada, England, Austria, South Africa, Japan, and in more than 20 states around the continental United States. Josh has been a member of the Glens Falls Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, and served as concertmaster for the Buffalo Community Orchestra (MN). He has performed with the Vienna Radio Orchestra and New World Symphony and currently substitutes with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Josh was a founding member of the Emmaus Quartet which gave over 100 performances in the Southeast between 2004 and 2006. Josh currently maintains a busy performance schedule with Schaafritz, a duo with his wife, CSO principal flutist Kristen Holritz. Additionally, Josh performs weekly with the CSO String Quintet in their effort to bring classical music to local schools and community events. Josh is an advocate for newly composed music and improvisation. His doctoral dissertation, entitled "A Player's Guide: Lera Auerbach's 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano, Op. 46", includes a complete recording of Auerbach's Op. 46 preludes. Josh's free improvisation work can be heard on Spotify under the album title Blow- Fi.

Josh joined the faculty of Covenant College in 2014 as Adjunct Instructor of Violin. He also maintains a private studio out of his home. Josh holds a B.M. from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a M.M. from the University of Minnesota, and a D.M.A. from the University of Georgia.

About Us

The mission of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera is to inspire, engage, and enrich the greater Chattanooga community through music and music education.

The 2015/16 season marks 83 seasons for the CSO, which played its first concert on November 5, 1933. The CSO, conducted by Music Director Kayoko Dan, consists of top players from the Chattanooga area as well as from across the southern region. The CSO performs a full season of Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, and Volkswagen Series concerts from September through May, as well as a variety of community, education and engagement events throughout the year.

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