Classically seasoned
ECSO opens 2017-18 campaign Saturday at the Garde
Last season’s final Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra took place on April 29 — almost six months ago. It might surprise fans to know that plans for the 2017-18 season, which gets underway Saturday night in New London’s Garde Arts Center, have been on the drawing board since last October.
“Yes, it takes about a year of planning and programming to put it all together,” laughs Toshi Shimada, the ECSO’s music director and conductor. “Which means we’re already talking about next season. Everything has to be set and ready for the printer by January. That’s how it all works.”
This season comprises six concerts along with a children-friendly “Carnival of the Animals” matinee, which means selecting over 20 musical works and organizing them in cohesive and thematic programs, each with guest soloist(s), and that emphatically entice and delight new and old listeners.
“We have to consider a lot of things,” Shimada says. “There are so many works to choose from, and we have to find interesting ones or familiar composers and combine them with maybe lesser known works that work well together. We have a budget, obviously, and then we have to find available soloists for those programs.”
Shimada says that some seasons might have a more consistent overall motif; others, as in the new season, might feature a few programs that are thematic and others that are more abstract. “It’s fun to combine those two approaches,” he says.
Another component might be the availability of a specific soloist — and what she or he might want to perform. Saturday’s concert, for example, is called “Revolutionaries” and features soloist/pianist Mark Markham, and the program includes Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture, Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and Ludwig von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.
“It’s often the case where we seek out a specific soloist, and that was the case with Mark,” Shimada explains. “We really wanted him, so first we find out if he’s available. If he is, then we ask what he would like to perform. He said the Prokofiev piece, which
then made me think of the Beethoven's No. 3. Each was revolutionary in its way, and that suggested the theme of the concert.”
Prokofiev's concerto was groundbreaking in its structure because both the soloist and the orchestra play important roles in the work. Beethoven's symphony — also known as Eroica and dedicated to Napolean Bonaparte — was also revolutionary in that its structure expanded the parameters of the Classical era and was a signpost pointing the way to the Romantic era. Shimada then selected Wagner's overture to complete the evening; its impact on opera reflected similar theoretical advances in form and presentation.
“One piece lead to another and sometimes it all comes together out of nowhere,” Shimada says.
If it sounds as though Shimada needs to be exceptionally well organized in addition to creative and musically virtuosic, consider that, in addition to his work with the ECSO, he balances similar obligations as music director for the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes as well as the Yale Symphony Orchestra.
It's probably not much of a stretch, then, to suggest Shimada climbs onstage and conducts symphonies as a way to relax and get away from it all!
“Actually, part of the enjoyment is the whole process,” Shimada says. “We're very comfortable here, and working with (ECSO executive director) Caleb (Bailey) is a pleasure.”
Indeed, this season marks the third (already!) with Bailey at the helm. Originally from Nebraska, Bailey has enjoyed integrating into southern New England and the local arts scene. “It's been a fantastic journey getting to know this area and our orchestra's supporters,” Bailey says, adding that interacting with other local non-profits, the ECSO's board of directors and the community at large has been extremely rewarding.
“I think all of us here have been able to accomplish some great things, such as providing low-cost family concerts again and bringing our subsidiary groups — the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus, Youth Orchestra and Strings Ensemble — into the fold.”
As for his growing personal and creative relationship with Shimada, Bailey says, “Toshi is a visionary with the way he plans programs and also a team player. He listens to musicians, patrons, board member and even me when we plan our concerts for each season. He does this all phenomenally and passionately, and our musicians and audience have embracced him throughout his eight years here.”
It all kicks off Saturday, and Shimada and Markham will present a pre-concert discussion at 7 p.m.