Vallejo-Vacaville A/E Source: Vallejo Symphony set for free concert

The Vallejo Symphony is set to perform a free concert to celebrate the grand reopening of Hogan Auditorium on Sunday, from 3 to 5 p.m. Doors will open at 2:15 p.m., and seating is open.

Vallejo Symphony will move to Hogan Auditorium for its 95th season, with programs beginning in December.

"It's always challenging to move venues, so we thought a way to get people excited about moving to Hogan from the Empress Theatre was to present a free concert," said Music Director Mark Taddei.

Because Hogan Auditorium is a larger stage, it is easier to put a bigger orchestra together, allowing for larger-scale works like Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - a program that will be featured next season.

Sunday's program will feature pieces ranging from classical to jazz and opera.

The program is structured with "manageable, bite-sized" pieces so that audiences can enjoy a wide variety of music.

Pieces include "Rhapsody in Blue", "The Four Seasons", and "La Bohème" featuring Tiffany Austin, Verismo Opera, and Elizabeth Dorman.

Austin will sing two numbers from George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess": "Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now."

The symphony previously performed a rendition of "Porgy and Bess" with Austin at the Empress Theatre two seasons ago.

The orchestra will also perform Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" with Verismo Opera chorus, and the end of the first act of La Bohème.

For "La Bohème", Taddei said opera differs in its use of "colla voce," where the orchestra follows the singers as they sing the storyline, not just the melody.

"It's quite challenging in that regard. You have to understand the ebb and the flow of the music and the Italian to play the music exactly right," said Taddei.

The program will finish with Dorman's performance of "Rhapsody in Blue."

"We finish with that because it's one of the great closing works," Taddei said.

Dorman, Austin, and Verismo Opera will be the featured soloists in Vallejo Symphony's next season.

"These are friends of the orchestra and the community. They're deeply involved with Vallejo and wider Solano County. The arts are stronger when we collaborate," said Taddei.

For him, organizations such as symphonies are a beacon to bring talented artists together.

Taddei added, "We're just a small part of the wider arts community. Having a vital art scene is a prerequisite for a great quality of life."

Even if the audience may not recognize the title of each piece on the program, Taddei said that they will recognize the music anyway.

"Every single piece that's on the program is a work that has entered our consciousness, whether we realize it or not," said Taddei.

One of the pieces featured in Sunday's program, "Rhapsody in Blue," was previously used in United Airlines' "theme song" and commercials, as well as Woody Allen's "Manhattan" film.

Another piece featured, "The Barber of Seville Overture," was previously used in a 1950 Looney Tunes short, "The Rabbit of Seville."

Taddei selected pieces for the program not only based on their popularity, but also because they are "populist."

He playfully acknowledged that symphonies can be viewed as a pretentious or "snobby" event.

"We don't bite," he jokes. "It's not a snobby event at all."

His hope, rather, is for audiences to "get a taste" of the venue and the types of programs the symphony has to offer.

Whether the audience has previous experience attending symphonies or not, Taddei said can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages.

"I think there's something for everyone. Even if they feel intimidated or don't know anything about classical music, I think this is a program everybody should go to," said Taddei. "And, the price is right."

To learn more about Vallejo Symphony, visit vallejosymphony.org/

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