Peoria Symphony Orchestra Announces Revised 2020/21 Season

The Peoria Symphony Orchestra has announced a reimagined 123rd Season! The September, October, and November concerts will be recorded and broadcast on WTVP's Create channel on the originally scheduled concert dates. The concerts will be recorded at Grace Presbyterian Church with small and socially distanced orchestras and no live audience.

The December holiday concert has been cancelled. Look for something similar next season! The January, February, March, and April concerts are currently scheduled to be performed in the Peoria Civic Center Theater. We do not yet know what the guidelines for attendance will be. However, subscribers will receive priority access to seats for live concerts. Single tickets may be made available if the situation allows.

The season opens on WTVP's Create channel on Saturday, September 26, 2020, with The Four Seasons featuring Charles Yang, violin. The concert features musical excursions to Germany and Italy. It will be an evening of musical delights, from champagne with Mendelssohn and Bach, to prosecco with Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Peoria's favorite Charles Yang also makes his much-anticipated return to the stage with the PSO. The recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award and described by the Boston Globe as one who "plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star," Yang has performed in the presence of two former US Presidents and the Queen of Denmark. He has recently shared the stage in collaborations with artists including Peter Dugan, CDZA, Steve Miller, Jesse Colin Young, Jake Shimabukuro, Ray Benson, Michael Gordon, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Marcelo Gomes, Twyla Tharp, Misty Copeland, and Jon Batiste.

On Saturday, October 24, 2020, viewers can tune in to WTVP's Create channel to see Merry Pranks. Fall celebrations come to life with joys and jests! This program evokes images of cheerful gatherings with family and friends. Let slow Autumn fires, fresh cider, harvest meals, and perfect music inspire your unhurried enjoyment of the season's blessings. The program features Pei-yeh Tsai, piano, and Sarah Carrillo, trumpet. Dr. Tsai is currently the principal pianist for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and New Bedford Symphony. Ms. Carrillo is the principal trumpet for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with many groups in the Chicago area, including the Chicago Symphony, Northbrook Symphony, The Chicago Arts Orchestra, Elmhurst Symphony, and more.

Haydn & Mozart will premiere on WTVP's Create channel on Saturday, November 21, 2020, and features Adriana LaRosa Ransom, cello. In this concert, "Papa Haydn" and his tremendous musical son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart bring you the poise, joy, and charm of the Classical Era. They invite you to find your best self in this program of uplifting music! Dr. LaRosa Ransom will take us along on this exhilarating musical journey. An Associate Professor of Cello and Director of String Project and the Community School for the Arts at Illinois State University, Dr. LaRosa Ransom is the principal cellist with the PSO and has also appeared as a guest artist on notable solo and chamber music recital series, including the Peoria Bach Festival, Chicago Cello Society concerts, the Trinity Lutheran Candlelight Concert Series, and at universities throughout the Midwest.

The PSO returns to the Peoria Civic Center Theater on Sunday, January 17, 2021, at 3:00 PM for Curtain Up! A Broadway Matinee. Join us for this Broadway revue with the enchanting 123rd Season Artist-in-Residence Michelle Areyzaga and the PSO. Whether you're a Beauty, a Beast, or just Wicked, you'll get a kick out of this enjoyable matinee! As a coveted performer with a diverse repertoire, American soprano Michelle Areyzaga is held in high regard by orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and abroad. She has performed operatic roles with New York City Opera in Telemann's Orpheus as well as in their VOX series, and has appeared in leading roles with Chicago Opera Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago's In the Neighborhoods programs, Opera Birmingham, Ravinia Festival, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México. We are excited to welcome her as our 123rd Season Artist-in-Residence.

In what is becoming a beloved annual tradition, the PSO is performing Romance at The Peoria Civic Center Theater on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at 7:30 PM. The concert brings performances from The Romaniacs, Masha Lakivosa, violin, and Michelle Areyzaga, soprano. The Romaniacs feature celebrated Jazz musicians John Miller on guitar, Joe Park on guitar, Larry Harms on clarinet and soprano sax, and Andy Crawford on bass. Take Roma culture and mix in equal portions of Jazz and romantic music... it's the perfect musical recipe for Romance. Come explore the Roma world of Jazz great Django Reinhardt and experience the magic of Hot Club Jazz in 1930s Paris! The concert also features Masha Lakivosa, violin, who at just eighteen is fast becoming one of the rising stars of her generation. The Chicago violinist has had the privilege of performing in esteemed concert venues in the United States and all over the world. She was described by NPR's "From the Top" host Christopher O'Riley as "one of the most brilliant, communicative, and intelligent young musicians I have had the pleasure of hearing in recent years. She possesses a wonderful natural stage presence, musical maturity well beyond her young age, and a virtuoso command of her instrument which is always at the service of music."

The PSO takes the stage at the Peoria Civic Center Theater on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 7:30 PM with Mahler's Fifth. From struggle to triumph, the tenderness and heroism of the music of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler will inspire you to discover your own vast universe of possibilities. The PSO's 123rd Artist-in-Residence Michelle Areyzaga joins again for another inspiring performance.

The 123rd Season comes to a stunning close with Tchaikovsky Spectacular on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at 7:30 PM at the Peoria Civic Center Theater. Star-crossed love, Napoleonic battles, pianistic pyrotechnics, and a lake of mystical swans-four fantastic Tchaikovsky favorites take the stage, ending with Tchaikovsky's celebrated 1812 Overture! James Giles, piano, joins the PSO. Dr. Giles regularly delights audiences in important musical centers around the world. Known for his probing and charismatic performances, a London critic called his Wigmore Hall recital "one of the most sheerly inspired piano recitals I can remember hearing for some time," and added that "with a riveting intelligence given to everything he played, it was the kind of recital you never really forget."

Throughout the season, the PSO will continue with #PSOAtHome. You will have the opportunity watch PSO musicians and guest artists perform live and watch past live events and recordings. The #PSOAtHome website also includes a plethora of educational content, aimed at helping parents bring the joy of music to the entire family.

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