Canton Symphony Orchestra Announces Next CONVERZATIONS Guest MJ Albacete, 1/9

he guest presenter for the Canton Symphony Orchestra's (CSO) next ConverZations discussion on January 9 at noon will be M.J. Albacete, Executive Director Emeritus of the Canton Museum of Art. ConverZations is a series of free public discussions, held at the Zimmermann Symphony Center (2331 17th Street NW), and features a variety of guest speakers who provide a pleasant and entertaining way for audience members to "get inside" the music. Sponsored by T. K. & Faye A. Heston and the Ada C. & Helen J. Rank Charitable Trust, the ConverZations Series will continue on the second Mondayof every month until April 2017.

After a four-decade career with the Canton Museum of Art, M. J. Albacete retired in 2014 as Executive Director Emeritus. For many years a member of the Ohio Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau, his lectures on art, music, and other topics number in the hundreds. He served for a time as reviewer of Canton Symphony Orchestra concerts for The Repository, and a contributor to Fanfare Magazine. At least once each season, he is on call to present a pre-concert lecture for the CSO, and has already made several appearances on the ConverZations series. For the CSO's recent "Music Takes Shape" education outreach program reaching almost 3,000 area students, M.J. designed a unique geometric construction project. An Adjunct Professor at Kent State University Stark Campus, M.J. teaches a course on the history of architecture.

For the January 9 ConverZations, Albacete will explore the origins of the popular Viennese waltz and the evolution of the popularity of the dance and several of its composers, mostly Johann Strauss and his sons, despite some critics warning that the waltz was immoral. He will also touch on Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. The ConverZations topics are a direct link to the CSO's January 28 MasterWorks concert which includes the Schubert symphony and several Strauss polkas and waltzes.
ConverZations attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch, and the orchestra provides coffee and a light dessert. For more information on upcoming ConverZations lectures and other events run by the Canton Symphony Orchestra, visit www.cantonsymphony.org/converzations.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain residents of Stark County and beyond. The orchestra performs classical, holiday, casual, and a variety of educational programs in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, adjacent to the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2323 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio, as well as other venues in Stark County. For more information, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org or call (330)452-2094. Administrative offices are located at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton OH 44708.

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