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The Louisville Orchestra will present Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert featuring screenings of the complete film with Oscar®-winning composer John Williams’ musical score performed live to the film. The concert will be led by acclaimed conductor Keitaro Harada at the Kentucky Center on Saturday, February 2 at 7:30PM and Sunday, February 3 at 3PM.
Tickets start at $35 and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Set 30 years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: A New Hope, the fourth episode of the saga, starts on the desert planet of Tatooine. A young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). A civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi-Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Joined by the quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon.
In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. Since the release of the first Star Wars movie over 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects and iconic musical scores composed by John Williams. Legendary composer Williams is well known for scoring all eight of the Star Wars saga films to date, beginning with 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope for which he earned an Academy Award® for Best Original Score. His scores for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, were each nominated for Best Original Score.
The Star Wars: Film Concert Series is produced under license by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox and Warner/Chappell Music. STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM
To kick off the New Year, your Louisville Orchestra brings internationally acclaimed conductor, Leonard Slatkin to The Kentucky Center on Saturday, January 12 at 8PM. Mr. Slatkin will conduct the LO in Edward Elgar’s most famous works, Enigma Variations.
Single tickets start at $27* and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Cindy McTee, Mr. Slatkin’s wife, is an accomplished composer and her work, Double Play will open the concert followed by a piece by Leonard Slatkin himself, Kinah (Hebrew for “elegy” or “dirge”), which was written in memory of his parents. The program is rounded out by a rousing work for ballet, The Incredible Flutist by Walter Piston.
The Enigma Variations is the work that put Elgar on the musical map. He had made his living as a musical jack-of-all-trades, playing several instruments, conducting, teaching, and composing. His early works brought him scant recognition; it was not until he composed his Enigma Variations that he came into his own as a composer of quality; one whom Richard Strauss would call “the first English progressivist.”
As the title implies, the work is a theme-and-variations, but with a twist: the theme is never heard—hence the “enigma.” What’s more, each variation is also a portrait of one of his friends. Each was cryptically titled with a set of initials or a name, and it was not until after Elgar’s death that all of the identities became known.
The featured LO musician for this program is LO’s own incredible flutist, Kathy Karr who will talk with 90.5 WUOL’s Daniel Gilliam at the LO Concert Talk at 6:45PM prior to the concert.
For the fourth year in a row, the Louisville Orchestra, led by Dr. Kent E. Hatteberg, will present Handel’s Messiah in several locations throughout the community this holiday season. On Thursday, November 29 at 7:30PM, the traditional Christmas selections of the work will be performed at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the heart of the city on South Fifth Street. A second performance will be held at Harvey Browne Presbyterian Church in St. Matthews on Friday, November 30 at 7:30PM. The final presentation will be in Harrods Creek at St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church on Saturday, December 1 at 7:30PM.
The University of Louisville’s Kent Hatteberg leads the LO, the Louisville Chamber Choir, and a quartet of talented soloists in the seasonal classic that has inspired music lovers around the world.
General Admission tickets are $35 + tax in advance and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or online at LouisvilleOrchestra.org. Tickets will also be available at the door for $40 one-hour prior to each performance where cash or check will be preferred.
On Saturday, November 24 Bob Bernhardt and the Louisville Orchestra will celebrate the holiday season with two concerts filled with Christmas cheer and the phenomenal talent of LaKisha Jones from American Idol! The festivities begin at 11AM with a one-hour concert for the whole family. Bring the kids early to meet Santa in The Kentucky Center lobby and participate in the pre-concert activities! At 8PM, the twohour LO Pops concert brings more music and magic of the holidays!
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt continues to bring his unique combination of easy style, infectious enthusiasm and wonderful musicianship to the city and orchestra he loves. He has been a constant presence with the Louisville Orchestra for the past 37 years.
LaKisha Jones makes her Louisville Orchestra debut with her favorite holiday tunes like Mariah Carey’s, “All I Want for Christmas is You” and “O Holy Night!”
The Louisville Youth Choir joins in for musical highlights from popular holiday films like Home Alone and The Polar Express!
Tickets to Home for the Holidays range from $15-$85* and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org. Pro-rated subscription packages are still available by calling 502.587.8681 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
On Friday, November 16 at 11AM and Saturday, November 17 at 8PM the Louisville Orchestra welcomes guest conductor, Ken-David Masur to the Kentucky Center for a concert featuring Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto and celebrating veterans. Strauss composed his Oboe Concerto after meeting an American Soldier at the end of World War II. The soldier happened to be Pittsburgh Orchestra’s principal oboist, John de Lancie, who later became the director of the Curtis Institute of Music where he taught Richard Woodhams, who instructed our soloist, Alexander Vvedenskiy.
Single tickets range from $85 – $20* and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
As Strauss’ work was inspired by a soldier, and this concert follows Veterans Day, the Louisville Orchestra will celebrate veterans in our community and offer all active-duty and retired military $10 tickets (up to 4) by using the code “THANKYOU” at checkout.
Strauss’ Oboe Concerto is reflective and lighthearted unlike his more familiar and dramatic work such as Also Sprach Zarathustra. This program also features Brahms’ Serenade No.1 and a contemporary piece, the space of a door by composer Eric Nathan.
The LO Concert Talk is free for ticket holders and will take place at 10AM on Friday and 6:45PM on Saturday in Whitney Hall. The Concert Talk will be led by 90.5 WUOL’s Daniel Gilliam with featured artist and LO principal oboe, Alexander Vvedenskiy.
Ken-David Masur Ken-David Masur, the next generation of the talented Masur family (his father Kurt was a noted-conductor), is making his mark as a bold and fearless conductor whose performances as Associate Conductor with the Boston Symphony are thrilling audiences.
Alexander Vvedenskiy Mr. Vvedenskiy became the Principal Oboist for the Louisville Orchestra in 2015. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in numerous concert halls of Europe, Asia, and the United States and has appeared as Guest Principal Oboe with the New York Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Symphony, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
On Saturday, November 10 at 8PM, Principal Pops Conductor, Bob Bernhardt and YOUR Louisville Orchestra welcome Brass Transit to The Kentucky Center to relive the 70s and 80s with the horn-laden music of the legendary band, Chicago. Eight of Canada’s most talented and accomplished musicians will bring you back to the most memorable time of your life with some of the American rock band’s biggest hits such as “25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday In the Park,” and “If You Leave Me Now.”
Individual tickets range from $85 – $27 and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Brass Transit goes far beyond just imitating the songs; they embody the music. They recently produced their first self-titled album, taking songs by other top artists from the seventies and recording them with horns in the CHICAGO style. The result is a fresh approach to some of the greatest hits of the era. They also recently scored their show for full symphony orchestra with original arrangements that are truly spellbinding. They have left crowds in awe and on their feet, evoking comments like “Spine-tingling,” “Brought me back to my youth,” and “Perfect in every detail.”
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt continues to bring his unique combination of easy style, infectious enthusiasm and wonderful musicianship to the city and orchestra he loves. He’s been a constant presence with the Louisville Orchestra for the past 37 years; as Assistant and Associate Conductor, Principal Guest Conductor with Kentucky Opera, and now for 22 years as the LO’s Principal Pops Conductor. Bernhardt is concurrently Principal Pops Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan, and Principal Pops Conductor and Music Director Emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, where he previously spent 19 seasons as Music Director and is now in his 27th year with the company. He is also an Artist-in-Residence at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.
In Mozart Requiem, Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra look forward to pairing two very different masterpieces of the sacred choral repertoire. Juxtaposing traditional Gregorian chant with the richest, most up-to-date sonorities in a revolutionary synthesis of old and new. Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 was unprecedented in the grandeur of its scale and exhilarating opulence of its sound. Written more than 175 years later, W.A. Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor was left incomplete at his death, inspiring some of the speculation that fueled the movie Amadeus. Yet behind all the rumor and mythology lie some of the composer’s most dramatic, gripping, and poignant music. Together, these two monumental works provide a compellingly intensive introduction to the genre.
Performed on October 26th at 11 AM as part of the ‘Hilliard Lyons Coffee Series’ and October 27th at 8 PM as part of the ‘Brown Forman Classics Series’, the concerts will be held at the Kentucky Center. Coffee Series concerts offer lower prices and a shorter concert with no intermission (sections from the Vespers of 1610 will be abbreviated) in addition, audience members enjoy coffee service before the concert provided by Heine Brothers. Additional support for these concerts has been provided by an anonymous donor and in memory of Mary, Ed, and Patricia Macior by Jean M. and Kenneth S. Johnson.
LO Concert Talks preview each performance and are led by Classical 90.5 WUOL-FM program host Daniel Gilliam. At 10 AM on Friday and 6:45 PM on Saturday, LO Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz will be the featured guest. The LO Concert Talks are free to ticket-holders and held in Whitney Hall at the KCA.
Tickets start at $20 and are available by calling 502-584-7777 or LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Kent Hattenberg, chorusmaster, leads the Louisville Chamber Choir and the University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale in these performances. The elite Chamber Choir is comprised of 28 musicians drawn from the Louisville Metropolitan Area and is dedicated to the highest levels of ensemble performances. They will be featured in Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610.
The combined choirs are joined by soloists for Mozart’s Requiem: soprano Jessica Rivera; alto Kendall Gladen; tenor Jesse Donner; and bass Evan Boyer. Each, acclaimed for opera and orchestral work, are extraordinary singers in their own right.