2016-2017 Season

The ECO opens its season with a trip around the world! Join guest conductor Kelly Corcoran on a musical journey from Europe to South America and back. This program features Mendelssohn’s impressions of Scottish caves, Golijov’s tribute to the Argentinian tango, and finishes with Mozart’s composition of Prague. Come join us for an international event as we set sail on the ECO’s 39th season!

TANGO AND TRAVELS

SEPT 17

Kelly Corcoran, conductor | Hilary Philipp, oboe

Kelly Corcoran

Hilary Philipp

Gold Medalist of the 2014 Violin Competition of Indianapolis and international soloist Jinjoo Cho returns to Erie to perform Mozart’s Turkish-inspired Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major. In a program sure to delight, the ECO performs Sergei Prokofiev’s homage to Mozart and Haydn in his wildly virtuousitic “Classical Symphony,” as well as French composer Francis Poulenc’s neoclassical dance work, Sinfonietta.

INSPIRED BY THE CLASSICS

OCT 22

Matthew Kraemer, conductor | Jinjoo Cho, violin

Jinjoo Cho

Mozart is known as one of the greatest composers of all-time, and this month’s ECO concert pays tribute to not only Mozart’s genius, but his sense of humor, as well. The toy chest of Joseph Haydn is featured in his “Kindersinfonie”, a piece that includes a cuckoo and toy trumpet! Rounding out the program is the famous Sinfonia Concertante of Mozart himself, featuring ECO concertmaster Maureen Conlon and the great Andrés Cárdenes on viola.

MOZART AND LAUGHTER

NOV 19

Charles Latshaw, conductor |
Maureen Conlon, violin | Andrés Cárdenes, viola

Charles Latshaw

Maureen Conlon

Andres Cardenes

Come celebrate the holiday season with an eclectic Christmas playlist performed by the ECO! Our annual holiday concert will feature the beautiful Magnificat of John Rutter for orchestra and chorus, along with favorite holiday songs from Broadway and beyond! Warm up your vocal chords for our sing-along at the close of the program – a great way to spend the holiday!

CHRISTMAS CORNUCOPIA

DEC 10

Andrew Rainbow, conductor |
Kate Amatuzzo, soprano

Old and new alike meet in this concert, as we feature the little “diversion” of Jacques Ibert, a work based off of incidental music for “The Italian Straw Hat.” Then, the ECO performs music of George Walker, a living composer who was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for composition. We round out the program with classics of old, featuring a horn concerto of Haydn and Mozart’s eloquent Symphony No. 39.

OLD AND NEW

JAN 14

Vincent Danner, conductor | Chris Rapier, horn

Vincent L. Danner

Chris Rapier

None other than Richard Wagner referred to the lively rhythms of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony as the “apotheosis of dance.” A work of unrelenting energy, Beethoven 7 has remained one of the most popular and enduring works of the classical repertoire. Complementing the Beethoven is another dance work, Kodaly’s Dances of Galánta, which featured the folk rhythms of modern-day Slovakia. Come with your dance shoes on for this lively event!

THE APOTHEOSIS OF DANCE

FEB 18

Bradley Thachuk, conductor | David Graham, flute

Bradley Thachuk

David Graham

The ECO celebrates cultures around the world with this eclectic program featuring Cuban-born cellist and Sphinx competition winner, Thomas Mesa. Rounding out this program is a work of simplicity and depth by Estonian composer Arvo Part, the Argentinian folk music-inspired Variaciones Concertantes of Ginastera, and finally an Andean Walkabout of Gabriela Frank, a work that incorporates South American mythology, art, poetry, and folk music into western classical forms, reflecting her Peruvian-Jewish heritage.

A GLOBAL WALKABOUT

MAR 18

Leslie Dunner, conductor | Thomas Mesa, cello

Leslie Dunner

Thomas Mesa

Michael Ludwig, international soloist and former associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, returns to Erie to perform Beethoven’s grand violin concert with the Erie Chamber Orchestra! Audiences will remember Michael’s performance of the Korngold in our 2015-2016 season, and we are thrilled to have him back with the ECO! Also on this program is Haydn’s most famous symphony, his “London” Symphony.

MICHAEL LUDWIG

MAY 13

Matthew Kraemer, conductor | Michael Ludwig, violin

Michael Ludwig

The original “Pretty Woman”, Verdi’s Parisian romance tells a tragic tale of a woman finding herself between two worlds, and a love that is doomed. Come hear the soaring melodies of Violetta and Alfredo in one of Verdi’s most timeless works. This concert version of La Traviata will feature a cast of regional and national talent.

LA TRAVIATA

JUN 3

Matthew Kraemer, conductor

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THE JOE LUCKEY RECITAL SERIES

ECO members Ruth Ann Scanzillo, Hilary Philipp and Amber Rogers present music for an unlikely trio: oboe, viola and piano! Come hear a tapestry of new sounds with the ECO’s talented musicians.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

FEB 10

Hilary Philipp

Join ECO pianist Beth Etter as she presents the history and music of the harpsichord. A combined lecture and recital, this event is a must-see for all keyboard enthusiasts!

THE HISTORY OF THE HARPSICHORD

MAR 13

Hot off the presses! Come hear music written in Erie for Erie performers! This concert will feature new works of award-winning composers Christina Dolanc and Stephen Colantti, Also featured on this program will be work of the students from Perseus Charter School for Excellence.

ERIE COMPOSERS

APR 24

Christina Dolanc

The Erie Chamber Orchestra welcomes the Presque Isle saxophone quartet for an eclectic program of classical and jazz music for saxophones.

PRESQUE ISLE SAXOPHONE QUARTET

MAY 15